Her Adventure
by MusaBakaChan
Summary: Vanilla is a girl who hasn't the slightest clue what her age and her past are. She longs to go on an adventure to find out about her past and she gets that wish because of a simple encounter with Grand Chase! SieghartxOC, OCxOC
1. Introductory & New Friends

**Me: Hey guys! I got this idea from a random dream I had. So, I decided to make a story on it. Now, I shall stop 'Talking' so you guys can enjoy! I hope the Grand Chase characters are not too OOC and I hope Vanilla is not a mary-sue (I doubt she is because she isn't super powerful and all-knowing and everything else a mary-sue is)  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Grand Chase, just my OCs Vanilla and Willow!**

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><p><span>Chapter 1: Introductory and New Friends<span>

Vanilla sat on a rock and shut her eyes. She was doing her daily meditating until she heard voices.

Vanilla was, most likely, a human but she had no idea how she got on the island or what age she is (she says she's 17 but it's just a guess). She's short with dark brown hair and has opal eyes. Vanilla has many nature skills from being in the wild and she's considers herself as a quick person. She's also good in combat, training everyday on the island with her cat, Willow. Vanilla uses a javelin which can be used for melee or ranged combat.

Her house, which is on an island close to Xenia, is a little beach side home which looks pretty old, but is in good condition thanks to Vanilla. Around the house is all grass, sand, and palm trees. There are some monsters on the island, but not too many. The monsters are usually sneaky and quick but Vanilla has battled them a lot so, she can predict their every move by now.

Right now, Vanilla was doing her meditation until something distracted her. The sound of other people. She was always bothered by this since she'd had been alone most of the couldn't socialize with many and sometimes she longed to do that so, the sound of others talking was a bit distracting and made her miss her old life, whatever that was. She tried to ignore it but when she heard the sound again, it was coming from behind...right behind her. She didn't catch it coming, so she ended up jumping, literally. Vanilla looked back to see a group of a few people staring at her.

"Who are you? One of the monsters on the island?", asked the red-haired girl. _She obviously can't tell the difference between a human and a monster_, Vanilla thought.

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same? Excluding that second question...", Vanilla said.

The red-haired girl was about to object but the blonde girl gave her the signal not to. "Miss, can you please tell us how to get off this island. Our means of transportation to this island seem to have..." The blonde girl trailed off, probably forgetting the next word.

"...Died.", said the silver-haired boy.

Vanilla thought for a moment. _If I let them leave willingly, I'll be still left alone, unable to see the world and unable to find out about my own past. But..._

"Okay, I'll let you guys leave IF you defeat me in...", Vanilla slightly paused. "...a game of tag!"

Everyone blinked in confusion. "If any of you guys end up tagging me, you win." Vanilla said.

"That's too easy!", said the red-haired girl. "I want a real challenge."

"Ahh~but here's the catch. You can only tag my forehead." Vanilla said, poking her forehead. "Also, if I spot you or you try and attack, I'll either cast a sleep spell on you or run in an instant. There's no time limit, meaning this can go on as along as forever. Get it? It starts now!"

Everyone blinked and Vanilla was gone. The group looked around the area, seeing if she was hanging around. "Okay...she's not here. What just happened?", asked the purple-haired girl.

"Well, whatever happened, we have to find her. Split up and search the entire island for her!", said the blue-haired boy.

Everyone split up and began searching for her.

_Vanilla's POV_

_Hah! They're so slow! This will probably take a few days. Better be ready to wait a long time._ I said, hiding in the bushes with Willow. Even though this was going to take a while, I couldn't afford to back inside the house. _No_, I thought, _Have to stay hidden. Wouldn't want them to win so easily. _I looked around, just in case. For all I knew, they could stumble across me.

I prepared myself for the most boring 24 hours of my life, which I can't stand. Then an idea popped in my head. "Hey! I'm in the bushes!", I hollered out loud. I heard some bushes rambling and I made a little sprint for it. I turned around to see the orange-haired elf boy trying to sneak up on where I was before, only to find Willow, my cat. Willow didn't like strangers much so she ended up destroying his face. The cat ran back to me and we climbed up a normal tree.

"I almost feel sorry for that guy. You did a good job, Willow.", I said, as Willow purred and I scratched her ear. "Wonder if anyone else heard me?" I heard something coming from the ground. It was red-haired girl who was after me. She was steadily climbing the tree but wasn't very good at it. She was determined to catch me, though. I had a coconut with me and decided to throw it at her. She instantly fell and got knocked out, in which gave me the chance to get the heck out of that tree, along with Willow, of course.

I am now behind a huge boulder in front of the bakery shop (Yes, this island has a bakery shop. No, I don't run it. Other people do though). I was feeling damn hungry so, I decided to get inside the bakery. When I look through the open door, I see the gray-haired boy ordering cherry pie! My belly felt like it was twisting inside out. I had the feeling someone was going to notice me and I was hungry. I ran back to the boulder, only to find that somebody decided to take it. Though, the person was motionless.

_**'Poke it!', **_my mind said.

"No way!," I said to myself. "I ain't that stupid! Silly mind.."

_**'Ain't you pretty stupid, saying that out loud?', **_my mind said. _**'Anyways, I know you wanna poke him...or her...or it.'**_

"Fine. One poke. Just. One. Poke.," I did a poke-and-run. I ran past the bakery, which smelled awfully good at the moment, making my stomach churl. I ran past a few of those people. I ran to my house, which I then realized was guarded by the blonde girl. I ran back and after a while I ran into a tree. See how much running I did?

It was getting dark out and the sun was going down already. I needed to find a nice hiding spot to sleep. I hoped those other people sleep, too. I found a good spot in between trees. I sat down and slept on one of the tree's trunk. Not as comfortable as my bed, which was soft and warm. My sleeping area felt cold, damp, extremely rough, and a bit sandy. Not the ideal hiding spot but, I've done this many times so I'm used to it. I fell asleep in my spot along with Willow in my arms.

_A few hours later..._

Willow was purring like mad. She scratched me on the arm, just enough to cause a little scratch mark. Nothing bad. "What is it, Willow? You hungry?" Though I knew she wasn't hungry, because she could go for days without food and not purr about it. This was different. Willow walked off on me, which wasn't like her and she started purring over and over again. I walked over to where Willow was and ended up tripping on something big. It was a body! That's what Willow was talking about the whole time.

"Okay, that's it. We're gone...", I said, quickly standing up. Willow looked at the body cautiously then blinked. You could tell she was watching if the body made a move. I scooped Willow up in my arms and we walked off, being as cautious and quick as possible. We slipped under a tree, far away from those other people and slept. It felt exactly the same as our other spot but it had a safer feeling to it. I just knew it.

_Next morning..._

I awoke from what possibly looks like 5 A.M. in the morning. _I wonder if they're awake..._I asked myself. Willow wasn't awake yet, not until 2 hours later. I took her up in my arms again and walked. I'm bored out of my mind and I wanted to end this game quickly.

_**'Aww...you wanna end this so quick? It seems fun!',**_ my mind said. Yes, my mind has a mind of its own. Don't know why, though.

"Shush mind!", I said as I made a _shh..._ sound.

_**'You really have to stop talking out loud to yourself. People will think you're crazy.'**_

"But I ain't crazy!", I said, really annoyed.

_**'Hey! You did it again! You talked out loud to yourself.'**_

I sighed. 'Hope you at least feel a little sorry for me. After all, I'm stuck with know-it-all mind for life. Anyways, I was walking until I heard something coming from the bushes. It was one of the monsters on the island. It looked like some hairy slime. Its body was like jello and was squishy to the touch. But at the same time, it was covered in fur. It made a sound like 'Kwerp!'.

"You again? I have no time for you.", I knew it was going jump above my head so I waited until it was directly above my head and I stabbed it with my javelin. After that was done, I went on. Willow woke up in an alarming way. It was unusual for her to be waking up almost as early as me. After all, it's only been a few minutes since I actually did wake up. Duh, something was wrong. All of a sudden, I actually did start to feel a bit uneasy.

I kept walking on because I didn't want to stay there. It made me feel a bit weird. All of a sudden, four figures jumped from different trees down. I closed my eyes and braced myself because well, I didn't feel like running away. 'Opened my eyes and saw that one of them had poked my forehead.

"Ha ha! Guess you win!", I said excitedly.

_End of POV_

They walked along the sand, looking for the others. "Have any ideas where your friends are?", Vanilla asked, unsure.

"Not sure...", said the red-haired boy. "We split up when the game started.."

"You guys should have a rendezvous point!", Vanilla said. "So...what are you names? I mean, we didn't have the chance to meet properly!"

" 'Name's Jin.", said the red-haired boy.

"My name's Amy~! Nice to meet chu~!", said the pink-haired girl.

"Dio.", the demon said.

"...Zero.", the gray-haired demon said.

Vanilla was excited about meeting new friends, like always. "Nice to meet you guys!" She chirped. "My name is Vanilla. Vanilla val Verdu Lille. But just call me Vanilla for short." She stopped talking for a moment like she was thinking. "I remember it meaning Vanilla-covered Lily."

"Wow! That's a pretty name!", said Amy, seeming excited. "Thanks", Vanilla said, also seeming as excited as Amy. They kept on walking forward and they stopped at the annoyed red-haired girl, who seemed determined and thought the game was still going on. She was muttering to herself and she walked around in the bushes.

"Found Elesis!", called out Jin as the red-haired girl came out of the bushes.

"Huh?", she said before looking where Vanilla is. She became irritated. "Hey! It's you again! I'll get you!"

"Don't worry. The game is over already.", Vanilla tried to be nice to Elesis. Elesis just looked confused and said nothing. "C'mon! Let's go find your other friends." Elesis grumbled, but moved along with the others. Willow woke up to see unusual faces.

"That's a cute cat you got there!", said Amy, petting it along its ears. Willow purred slightly, shook her head, and settled down while Amy just petted her. "Thanks!", Vanilla said, again.

"So, who are you?", asked Elesis. Vanilla smiled sweetly and said, "My name is Vanilla val Verdu Lille. But just call me Vanilla."

"So, Vanilla, why did you challenge us to a game of tag?", Elesis asked.

Vanilla looked back at her and replied, "I'll say when we regroup your friends, Kay? I know someone other than you is going to ask me that and I don't want to repeat myself."

Elesis just shrugged and they all walked side by side. Sooner or later we found the silver-haired boy eating a slice of cherry pie. "Lass? You were eating cherry pie all this time!"

"Sorry," was all Lass just said. He shifted his attention towards me. "I see you guys found her."

"Her name is Vanilla.", said Elesis. Lass just continued eating his cherry pie and waved to Vanilla.

"Hi! So nice to meet you!", said Vanilla. She waved back at Lass, who got up and kept eating his cherry pie. Everyone stared at him but he didn't seem to be bothered. They kept on walking until they found everyone else, who was probably waiting. Everyone greeted each other and the new friends Vanilla found introduced her to the others.

"Hey...where's the old man?", asked Elesis, even though Vanilla had no clue who she was talking about.

"Haven't seen him.", said Ronan, looking around. "I thought you found him."

"And I thought **you** did...", said Elesis. "Ugh...now we have to go back and look for him."

Vanilla thought for a moment. She thought she could be of help. She tapped Elesis on the shoulder and she stopped. "What do you want?"

"I think I can help.", Vanilla said, clearing her throat. "I did see someone from your group behind a rock, sleeping-"

Elesis cut off Vanilla and said, "Yeah that's him. Where did you see him?"

"Near the bakery.", Vanilla said. Lass had an awkward grin on his face as he and Vanilla both said, "We know where the bakery is!"

Vanilla and Lass lead the way while Elesis and the other followed along. Vanilla had been to the bakery all the time. She either clears the monsters around the bakery (she gets free food as a reward), works there (ends up getting free food...again) or, buys a treat for herself there. Vanilla knew the path to the bakery by heart.

"Take a left...then a right...you should see a palm tree. From there, go straight...until you come across a rock-"

Vanilla was again, cut off by Elesis who said, "There's the old man!"

_**'Congratulations, you did something nice for your friends._', _**_Vanilla's mind seemed to chime in. **_'Now if only you did that for me...'_**

"Who'd want to help you?", Vanilla whispered really softly so that her new friends couldn't hear.

_**'Now that's just mean, Vanilla. I know you're nicer than that!', **_Mind said. Vanilla did an imaginary glare at it.

**_'Love you too', _**the mind said sarcastically. It stopped chatting and Vanilla continued to join the group.

"Now, who wants to lift him back?", Elesis said. Her teammates stepped back. Vanilla shook her head and said, "Someone can teleport him back. Now who's a mage here?"

"Arme, teleport the old man back.", demanded Elesis.

"Say please!", Arme demanded back. Elesis struggled to say 'Please', which confused Vanilla a lot. Finally Elesis said, "Please..."

With the wave of her wand, Arme had teleported him back. They stood there and then saw the bakery. The group ran inside and ordered cherry pie. It smelled fresh from the oven, like how the bakery smelled itself, fresh from the oven. They all returned to Vanilla's place.

"Do you guys want to rest up for a while? I'm more than happy to share the hospitality.", Vanilla smiled as she said that.

Everybody waited for their leader to say something. "Sure. We'll rest up and then move on tomorrow.", said Elesis.

The team obeyed and Vanilla let them inside the house. Most of them were amazed to see how clean and decorated the house was. Vanilla let Willow out of her hands and the cat scurried off. Vanilla offered to make dinner, with the help of Arme. While making the dinner though, Arme suddenly stopped.

"Vanilla, can I ask you something?"

"Sure! Ask away Arme!"

"Are you always this happy?", Arme had a confused face while speaking.

"Of course." Vanilla paused for a moment. Her smile faded. "What? You find it weird that I'm happy a lot?"

"N-No! I like being happy too.", Arme said, a little shocked by the change in Vanilla's voice.

"Don't worry. You didn't offend me. I get that a lot from the visitors and the people on the island.", Vanilla said, happy all of a sudden. Arme was relieved that Vanilla wasn't mad. But she was still wondering if she was hiding something from them, already. Vanilla and Arme were done making dinner and they served it to everyone, including themselves.

"You still haven't told us the reason for your challenge!", Lire said. Vanilla stopped eating and gulped the food in her mouth. She sighed and said...

"Isn't it obvious? It was a test. And you passed.", Vanilla said, smiling. "It's time for me to ask a question. Who are you guys?"

"We're the knights of Grand Chase from Bermesiah.", Elesis said, proudly.

"And you guys are stopping evil in its tracks and fall into trouble wherever you go?", Vanilla guessed.

"That's the idea.", Lass said.

"WOW! That's so cool! You guys get to travel, like, almost every day!", Vanilla said, stunned and fascinated by this 'Grand Chase'. "I would go and explore the world but I don't want to go alone, if you know what I mean..." She scratched her head. "Hmm...If you guys don't mind...I'll join you guys to stop evil!"

"Can you actually fight? Or, defend yourself at the least?", Ronan asked.

"Oh, I am capable of both! You don't have to concern yourself.", Vanilla said smiling cheerfully.

"Then it's settled.", Elesis said. It was followed by a number of 'Welcome to Grand Chase!' by a lot of the more friendlier people.

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><p>Vanilla showed everyone to their rooms. "Since theirs not enough rooms to accommodate 12 people...I had to put at least 3 people in each guest room." People nodded and she continued to show everyone their room. Before they went into the guest bedrooms, Vanilla made an announcement. "Please make sure not to damage anything. Thanks!"<p>

_Vanilla's POV_

Once I got into my room, I got bored pretty quick. There was barely anything to do but sleep. Willow came into the room and sat on my lap. Even though I could play with Willow, she would probably cause chaos. I'm not taking the chance, especially with visitors here. There was also books in my room, but..

There was a knock on the door. Willow bounced off my lap and I opened the door. It was Arme. "Hey Vanilla, have any books on spells?"

"Yeah I do. Should I get the biggest one for you?", I said, giggling.

"Sure thing! I love reading up on spells!" Arme said as Vanilla quickly went to go get it. She got the book, but it was hard to carry. It was more than 2000 pages and it had a dusty, hard, brown cover. I struggled to get to Arme and while doing that, the book almost slipped out of my hands. Arme casted some sort of magic spell that made the book float. I was shocked to see that.

"Thanks Arme!", I said, still surprised.

"Your welcome!", Arme stopped for a moment and looked back to see how bored I was. "Are you okay?" she asked. I looked to see that she was still there.

"I'm fine. Just bored.", I said, with the bored expression.

"You could read one of those books...", Arme said.

I lowered my head in despair. "I don't know how to read...maybe spells but it would have to be in another language..." I turned my head away.

"I-I'm sorry if I-", I cut off Arme.

"It's okay. You didn't offend me.", I said, trying to smile. But it was a really fake smile. Arme left the room and closed the door behind her. Up to this day, I still feel ashamed that I can't read. I don't cry about it but, it makes me feel emotional and different. I decided to go to sleep. It was the last thing I can do. After all, I should get a good sleep for the adventure ahead of me tomorrow!

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><p>Did you like the story?<p>

Sorry if it's a bit boring...but I'll get better!

Notes:

1. Vanilla's mind is actually a spirit with an actual name!

2. Vanilla is mostly happy. There's always that time when she either fakes her happiness or just gets really angry.

3. Willow understands human speech sometimes


	2. The Start of an Adventure!

**Hey guys! I updated this story faster than expected o.o anyways this chapter is basically about Vanilla and the Grand Chase going to an island to do their mission. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grand Chase or any of the characters. All I own is Cerulean Island and my OCs!  
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><p>Chapter 2: The Start of An Adventure<p>

It was morning. The sun's rays hit Vanilla's eyes and she was wide awake. She realized it was already the next day. Vanilla couldn't wait to start her adventure. "Yay! Today's the big day! New adventure!", she shouted. She successfully (and accidentally) woke up almost everyone from their sleep. Vanilla skipped downstairs to make breakfast. She was as happy as can be.

While making breakfast, most of the Grand Chase came downstairs. But they were really tired. "Good morning Elesis, Lire, Ronan, Lass, Arme, Dio, and Ryan! How's your morning?"

"Not good...", said almost everyone. Vanilla looked confused. She wanted to help but she had no time to waste; she had to prepare for the big adventure today.

"Well, breakfast is here if you want it. I'm going to go to the bakery and stock up on food. C'ya Later!", Vanilla said as she ran out the house and into the outdoors. With her bag in hand, she walked to the bakery. Soon, she smelled that fresh food smell coming from the bakery and she knew she was nearby. When she walked in, the owner of the bakery greeted her. The owner was a blue fairy of average human height but, all her employees were all human people.

"Good morning Vanilla! And what brings you here?", asked the fairy.

"Good morning! I just need to stock up on bread, cupcakes, and bagels. I'm going on an adventure!", Vanilla shouted, in a good way.

"Are you? Well, we'll see if we have some!", the owner said as she asked the employees to get a loaf of bread, a couple of bagels, and a few cupcakes. Vanilla put them in her bag and went off. Just before she left the bakery, the owner called to her. "When you come back, tell me all about your adventures! I'd love to know about them!", the fairy waved and said, "Best wishes to you on your adventure!"

"Okay I will! Good luck on your business!", Vanilla called. She walked back to the house and gathered her stuff.

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><p><em><span>Vanilla's POV<span>_

I packed up everything I needed for my adventure, including Willow. She was going to stay inside my bag so she doesn't get hurt. I was already ready and the Grand Chase team was, too. I told them that the island had an extra ship that we can borrow. We walked over to the ship.

"Are we ready?", I turned to them. Everyone nodded and we hopped inside the boat. It was an extremely long ride. We were headed to Cerulean Island to investigate the area. The entire area. "Are you ready for our adventure, Willow?", I asked. Willow smiled at me and nodded slow. Soon, we saw land and soon, we got to Cerulean Island. It was mostly forest and mountains but other than that, it was beautiful.

"Wow! This place is cool!", I said, looking around. Some of the Grand Chase members gave me a weird look. "What's wrong?", I asked and they said nothing. I ignored them and whirled around. Started to walk into the forest when Elesis stopped me.

"You can't go in alone, Vanilla.", Elesis said.

"Oh, sorry.", I said, as I took a step back. Elesis gathered the group and we walked into the forest together. On the way, my mind started to bother me but this time, it was more serious.

**_'Hey Vanilla! How's the adventure?',_** my mind chipped in.

"Pretty good. But I have to prove that I can be trusted to the others, though."

_**'Listen, I have to tell you something important.', **_my mind sounded more serious than before. _**'You have to get to this temple located in this forest. It'll give you an enchantment of your current powers but, will give you more powers. And it'll also allow me to move freely on Earth.'**_

I blinked twice to myself. I was dumbfounded; it wasn't like my mind to act serious and what did it mean by 'It'll also allow me to move freely on Earth?' so all I said was, " Ehh?"

**_'You may not understand, and I don't expect you to understand but, I'm actually a demon spirit bound to Earth. Just before I died, I casted a spell which bounded my spirit on Earth for centuries to come. Now, I'm in a situation where I'm now stuck in you head. _**

"Can I ask you something?", I asked and the spirit nodded inside. "How does dying feel? I mean, does it hurt?"

**_'Well...getting stabbed in the back does have a good feeling to i- OF COURSE IT HURTS! That day was fun and challenging but, by the end of the day, I was dead. My body turned to dust and my soul resides in you head.'_**

Apparently, my mind doesn't like talking about its death. I didn't bother it about it, knowing it'll torture me even more with its sarcasm and annoying phrases. "What's you name, mind?"

**_'You'll know when the time comes.'_**

I hated suspense and I hated answers like that. I don't even know what gender it is! It's probably a girl but, chances are it could be a guy. Whenever my mind talks, it has this genderless voice. That's why I call my mind an 'it'. Well, I should tell the others to start at that temple first.

I soon realized I was way behind the others. I quickened my pace a bit until I caught up. Now, I needed to tell someone where I wanted them to go. Mari was just in front of me, so I would just ask her and tell her to pass it on.

"Uh...Mari?", I asked, hesitant, because I didn't really know how she would act.

"Yes?", Mari replied, turning her head.

"I need to get to this temple on the island.", I said. "Can you pass this info on to our leader for me?"

Mari fixed her glasses and said, "Do you even know where it is?"

I had no idea where it was. I was about to say 'not sure' when my mind jumped in and said to me, _**'700 miles east of here.' **_I twitched my eye for a moment until I realized Mari was still waiting for an answer."Umm..700 miles east of here."

Mari nodded and passed it on to Amy, who passed it on to Ronan, who passed it on to Sieghart, who passed it on to Elesis. Elesis commanded the group to stop. "Vanilla is headed for a temple. Since we're investigating the area, we may as well go there, too."

"It'll most likely give us more clues.", Ronan said.

"Right. Anyways, let's head east.", Elesis ordered as we changed direction and headed east.

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><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

The sun was starting to go down. I took out Willow from my bag, and held her in my arms. "Can we please camp here for the night?", I asked Ronan.

"That's what we were planning to do anyways.", Ronan said, sitting down beside a log. I just nodded.

I looked to see the sun setting. It was an amazing sight, and it reminded me of home. _Home..._I thought. Then I shook the thought out of my head, because my home, my days of living on the island are behind me for now. Right now, my main focus should be on the future and finding out about my past. I realized the more closer I was getting to that temple, the more I remember about my past. It's like I've been here before! I actually remember me reading from my past, but I don't know how to read, unless something happened to me at the time.

"Are you all right?", I turned around to see Lire. She looked a bit concerned, but she had that smile.

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me! I was just thinking...", I said, smiling. Lire understood and said 'Okay!' and she ran off. I wondered what had happened to me during my past that took away my ability to read. I also wondered what happened to my parents since when I came on the island, I came as an orphan.

"What do you think Willow? Do you think my parents are okay?", I asked. She just purred and patted my shoulder, like she was trying to comfort me. "That's what I thought..." Suddenly, a cool breeze swept through. Willow and I shivered. I wore clothes that weren't suited for the cold weather, only the warm weather. I ran in front of the campfire and tried warming myself.

"What are you doing?", Dio asked.

"I'm trying to get warm. I'm cold.", I said. I brought out a cupcake I got from the bakery and I ate it. I hid it back in my bag and tucked it in front of me so no one steals it. "So, what do we do now?"

"I guess we all either talk or keep to ourselves.", Dio said.

"In that case, I'll go run around! I always do that on the island...", I said as I got up and ran around the campfire. I caught sight of Dio. He looked at me like I was a nutcase. I didn't really care, because I admit, I am a bit of one. Dio was right about what the others did. I also caught sight of what others were doing. They were either talking or doing something else, or keeping to themselves.

"Now I'm bored!", I said as I flopped down beside Lass. "Hi Lass!"

"Hey.", he said, but I could tell he wasn't up to talking with me. Willow jumped out of my hands and started running.

"Willow! Wait up! Hey~!", I called out as I chased Willow.

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><p><em><span>End of Vanilla's POV<span>_

Willow jumped on Elesis and tried to sleep on her. Elesis got pissed by the cat and tried throwing her off. Vanilla ran and tried taking Willow off and ended up waking her up, which made her run again. The cat jumped onto Mari's head, followed by a great leap to Zero's head and ended up staying there.

"Don't move...just keep staying there...", Vanilla nervously said.

"What are you talking about?", Zero asked, unaware of the cat that jumped on his head.

"Willow's on your head...don't move your head, please...", Vanilla said, then pounced on Willow, but she escaped before Vanilla could get her. "Ugh! I sware I have no idea what's wrong with her right now! Usually, Willow would just sleep in one spot, not jump to other people's laps and jump from place to place. She's acting strange."

"She's probably getting used to environment?", Ryan jumped in with a suggestion.

"Maybe you're right...thanks, Ryan!", Vanilla smiled gladly and ran to watch Willow. She had to pay attention to what she was doing, especially since she wasn't exactly sure what was causing Willow to act strange. Vanilla saw that she seemed excited and really hyper. Vanilla looked as Willow jumped into Amy's lap and jumped off.

"There you are!", Vanilla pointed out Willow as was about to get her when she finally jumped on the napping Sieghart and started sleeping. "Ugh...this makes my job more harder...", Vanilla mumbled. She tip-toed to Willow and carefully took her up.

"I have no idea what's gotten into you...I really wonder if you are just getting used to the environment...", Vanilla mumbled. "Let's hope there's nothing weird about the island. I too, have a bad feeling about the island..."

Vanilla sat back where she was before the running and chasing after Willow. She allowed herself to sleep because it was getting late anyways; _and there's no point in staying up..._' Vanilla thought. She closed her eyes and slept under a tree.

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><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

Vanilla heard some shuffling of feet and immediately sprung from her sleeping spot. She also heard voices, but they were too far to hear.

_'They seem to be coming closer but I can't hear them! Who are they, anyways? Inhabitants of the island?'_ Vanilla thought. After that, they just left. Completely. I heard no more footsteps. _'Wha? They're gone? That's a relief! I wonder who are those people...'_

Vanilla looked around. Everyone else was asleep, so she shrugged and went to sleep herself.

_The next day..._

Vanilla was awake before everyone else again. She looked around and wondered what to do now.

_**'Good morning! We're not too far from the temple now! Just 200 miles of coverage left.'**_

"How'd we cover that much in a few hours yesterday?", Vanilla asked the spirit.

**_'You'll know when you reach the temple...this is not any ordinary island...',_** the spirit said. Vanilla had no idea if she was really being true or just tricking her. But Vanilla very well knew it wasn't any island. She could feel an odd presence in the air. Or maybe it was just her? Vanilla just nodded at what that spirit said and she ate a bagel for breakfast.

Just an hour later, one by one, the team got up. Vanilla looked up and saw how tall the trees were, and realized that most of this island was forest. It looks as though it's been untouched, but Vanilla remembered those people she heard in the night. "What's with this island? Seems so strange...", Vanilla muttered to herself.

Everyone finally got up, including Willow. They made their preparations and continued to the temple. "Hey! I see the temple!", Arme called out. Everyone looked up.

_'Where is it? I can't see it!', _Vanilla thought to herself as she tried to see it.

**_'Haha! Shortie.',_** the spirit jumped in. Vanilla made a sour face.

"Zero? Can I just climb on your back to see the temple?", I asked, innocently.

"Okay...", Zero said, and I climbed on his back. My mouth dropped open when I saw the temple.

"Wow! It's huge! And beautiful! Looks more like a palace than a temple!", Vanilla said. "I can't wait to see what's inside there!", Vanilla jumped off Zero's back and was excited about the adventure to the temple. The Grand Chase team moved towards the temple, with their eyes and ears open.

* * *

><p><span>Well that's the end of another chapter.<span>

The spirit's identity as well as gender, age, who killed her and past are a secret. How Willow acted strange and the island itself are also a big secret. The temple and what's inside is a secret. The 'people' on the island are also a secret. So many secrets that'll probably be revealed in the next 2-4 chapters.


	3. To The Temple!

**Hey guys! Another chapter is out! Anyways...I'm still not sure if I should add Ley/May in the story or not. I'm stuck on that part. Bleh, I'll figure it out. **

Chapter 3: To The Temple!

Vanilla and the Grand Chase team started their walk to the temple. Vanilla walked by her new friends, Arme and Lire.

"So, how do you like our team?", Lire asked, suddenly.

"Well...so far, everyone is okay being around me so, I think the team is good.", Vanilla said. Vanilla looked in front of her and saw Elesis arguing with Sieghart this time in the morning. "The team even brought along some humor, too!", Vanilla commented.

"Oh, that's just our leader being stupid as always!", Arme said, and they giggled. Elesis whirled around to see the 3 of them giggling.

"What's so funny?", she said, annoyed. They immediately shut their mouths. Then, Vanilla said," It's ok, Elesis. You don't have to get angry. Arme just told us a funny joke!"

"Don't tell me what to do!", Elesis yelled, commenting about how Vanilla said she shouldn't get angry. She turned a little to Arme, then turned back. They started to giggle again.

"You guys are really good friends!", Vanilla complimented. They all smiled at each other and laughed. "Thanks!", they both said. They proceeded onward and they walked up a little. Finally, Arme asked, "Know anything about the island, Vanilla? I heard you were looking for that temple on the island."

_Uh-Oh..._Vanilla thought. _What am I going to say? They'll think I'm crazy!_

An idea came in Vanilla's head. "Well, not really. I'm only doing a favor for someone by finding the temple for them..."

"Oh! I see!", Lire said. "So, why did you join Grand Chase?"

"I joined Grand Chase because, I wanted to find out about my past...when I was on the island, I didn't remember anything about my past. So, I wanted to find out. When I found you guys...well you know the rest.", Vanilla paused for a moment and said, "It feels as though the island is helping me find my past. The energy the island gives off helps me think, then I remember a piece of my past."

The two girls just nodded and understood. "Reminds me of Mari. She's trying to find out her past, too.", Arme said.

Vanilla nodded and walked up a little. Arme and Lire also quickened their pace. They caught up with the group. The spirit in Vanilla's head looked like it had awaken and it started talking.

**_'How's project 'Get to Know Everyone' doing? While you tell me about that, also tell me about project 'Get to the Temple'._**

"Well...everyone seems very friendly and stuff. Arme and Lire are my new friends. And also...we're not far from the temple. Just need a few hours, spirit.", Vanilla said. Even though she didn't have much info on what's inside the temple, she knew she was a few steps closer to finding out about her past life.

_**'See anything interesting?'**_

Vanilla was confused and had no idea what the spirit was talking about. "What do you mean by 'see anything interesting'?"

**_'You don't know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about the boys, y'know!'_**

Vanilla had heard this kind of topic on the island. She rolled her eyes. "I don't have a crush on any of them!"

**_'I'm wondering about the other way around...'_**

"I doubt they have a crush on me, spirit...", Vanilla said, now narrowing her eyes. "Enough of the topic..."

The spirit muttered something like 'You're shy.' and shut itself up. Vanilla closed her eyes and walked along the path with the group.

* * *

><p><em>Vanilla's POV<em>

That spirit! It could be so annoying sometimes! It even bothered to ask me about love! Why was I caring about this so much? I tried closing my eyes to forget about this. It didn't help and I still remember about it. I just guessed that I didn't like being bothered about it.

_**'Hey watch out, Vanilla!',**_ the spirit said. _**'I sense monsters up ahead.'**_

"Me too.", I whispered. I warned everyone about what the spirit had said, "Be careful guys! I sense some monsters ahead!"

"Finally! I'll give those monsters a good beating!", Elesis said, probably excited about the battles she would have with those monsters...whoever they were. I hoped they weren't too much for the team to handle. Then again, I had no clue what level are their fighting skills. I just shrugged and followed along.

That spirit of mine in my head was really right. I heard a growl coming from the forest. I jumped when I heard it, and ran behind Lass, calling out 'Human Shield!'. There was silence and then we saw 3 giant wolves, almost 3 times the size of us, coming from the forest. We were ready to fight until we heard a gunshot noises.

"Mari, was that you?", people asked. Mari shook her head.

"It wasn't me...maybe others?", Mari suggested.

We turned around to see the wolves advancing at us and then we heard the gunshot again. The wolf started to fall on top of us. Arme and I set up a shield to save everyone. "Hey! You can make shields, too!", Arme pointed out.

"Well...it's just a little bit of my magic. I'm mostly good at casting sleep magic.", I answered.

The other 2 wolves were about to attack when we heard the shots fired again. Both wolves fell in 1 shot and this time we moved out of the way. I was really confused. Who was firing a gun? Was it one of the inhabitants of the island? Either way, I felt a bit nervous. "Okay...what is up with the island?", Lass commented.

"Who knows.", Ronan said. "We'll investigate as soon as we find this temple."

We walked over the wolves and walked to the temple. We we're pretty close now; I could feel it. Problem is, that I feel an awkward change in the air, like something evil is near. "I sense something...", Zero said.

"A distortion in the air?", I asked.

"Yeah.."

"I feel the same thing. 'Hope there's nothing dangerous up ahead.", I said and we just kept on walking. I realized we we're covering a lot of ground, even though it was only a few hours. Willow popped out of my bag, much more excited than usual. It jumped from my bag straight to Amy's arms. My mouth dropped because I had no idea it could leap that far.

"Cute cat!", Amy complimented. "Is she yours?"

"Uh...Yeah. Sorry about that..", I said, a bit embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it!", Amy said, holding the cat. I just let her hold Willow, not wanting her to get upset about it.

_Endless walking,_ I thought to myself as I started seeing some mist. I narrowed my eyes at the sight. The mist was coming from the nowhere, or perhaps it was coming from the temple? I thought of the mist as an eerie presence. All of a sudden, the spirit jumped in, saying, **_'Don't give up! You're almost there!'_**

Our team headed straight into the mist, and we couldn't see what was in front of us. "What is this mist?", Arme asked.

"Haven't seen anything like it!", Sieghart said.

"Just a little mist. Keep walking.", Elesis said.

"You're just as blind as us right now, Miss Elesis..", Lire said. Elesis's reaction was probably not that good to that comment.

I needed help. No one could see the temple here! But I knew we were close. I tried to ask the spirit for help, though I didn't want to, I had no other options. Stay here for too long, and monsters will come looking for us. "Spirit? I need help?", I asked politely.

**_'Uh...just keep walking...if someone hits their head, it's probably the temple door. Once you get to the door, just say the following: Abracadabra!'_**

_Abracadabra? Is this a joke?_ I asked myself as I got a bit annoyed. "Just do what Elesis says! Keep walking straight!", I called out. _Hope I am doing the right thing..._

More wolves jumped out at us. These didn't look as angry as the other ones we encountered, but I could tell they were a lot stronger than those. "You dare pass on OUR territory!", said one of them in a gruff voice, probably the leader of that pack.

"Get out of the way!", Elesis said in a stubborn way.

"You get out of the way!", said another wolf as he kicked Elesis. The kick sent Elesis flying to the back of our group.

"D-Dammit...", Elesis muttered.

"Why are you here?", said the wolf leader.

"Um...", I quietly said and walk to the front of the group. "We're just trying to find a temple..."

The wolves whispered in each others' ears. They nodded and turned back to me. "You seek the Temple and Palace of Knowledge. A royal family used to live there once but, they returned to their village long ago, so you're free to venture in there."

"Thank you. We appreciate your help.", Ronan said.

"You're welcome, children.", the wolf said. They walked away peacefully but, they were looking back at me in a weird way, like I'm some sort of alien. I didn't tell anyone about that, just kept it a secret to myself.

We kept walking forward. The strange fog kept getting thicker and thicker until finally I heard a 'clang!' noise. Someone probably hit their head on the temple door. "Hey! What's over here?", Ryan asked. He's probably the one who hit his head.

"Give me a minute...", I said. I touched whatever was in front, thinking it was the temple door. "Spirit...are we at the temple door?"

**_No, you realize you're touching a giant spider, right?_**

The spider turned it's head to me. It had eight eyes, tough skin, long, hairy legs. Not to mention, I was awfully afraid of spiders. "AAAAHHHH! Spider, Spider! Get that freaking thing away from me!" I took out my javelin and said a spell. "Shockstorm spear!" My javelin glowed yellow and it gave off a lot of sparks. I just stabbed it into the spider's head and it died. I ran around the dead spider.

"Ha ha! You really scared of spiders, aren't you?", Sieghart teased. I got a bit annoyed.

"Don't tease me please!", I said. "I hate those fat, crawling things! They're sickening!"

Sieghart just chuckled and left. I crossed my arms and huffed while walking.

* * *

><p>This time, someone really bumped their head into something. It was Elesis, and she didn't really react that well to it. "Ouch! What's over here! Vanilla! Get over here and check!"<p>

I didn't like to be bossed around like that without a please. I was about to say 'Say please first!' but I decided to keep my mouth shut. "Is this the door?", I quietly asked the spirit.

**_Yeah. Remember what I told you! _**the spirit paused and said. **_Wait 'till you see my actual form! You'll be so surprised, Vanilla!_**

_Yeah, whatever._ I thought. I said the magic word 'Abracadabra!', and the door opened. Everyone looked at me funny though while I said the magic word. I don't blame them.

I looked inside the palace or temple from top to bottom and I was shocked

* * *

><p>That's the end of another chapter...I'm really liking the way it's turning out!<p>

Anyways, those wolves are from a tribe. They come back in the story soon.

The royal family that the wolf was talking about will be introduced in 1-2 chapters.

And...yes, Vanilla's scared of spiders. I am too. :P

Review please! :)

(Thanks to Solica and LunaTale for reviewing previous chapters!)


	4. The Palace and Temple of Knowledge

**Hey guys! I think that I'll add Ley later on, much later on. Anyways...**

**I don't own Grand Chase. Only the OCs here.**

Chapter 4: The Palace and Temple of Knowledge

"This place is BIG!", I said, shocked.

"This place is AWESOME!", Arme said, shocked too. "So much knowledge."

"This place looks boring.", Elesis said. Everyone turned to her with a confused look. "What? It is boring.."

Sieghart just laughed and said," Red, be more optimistic!"

"Whatever. Let's just find what Vanilla's looking for and get off the island.", Elesis said as we all walked off.

I walked up the steps along with everyone else. I started to remember some things from my past but they weren't happy things. It was flashbacks of when my home was destroyed and I was alone in a forest. I shuddered at the thought, then I remembered that spirit inside my head. Didn't it say it would come out of my head or something like that? I couldn't remember, so I asked the spirit.

"Uh...spirit? Shouldn't you be out of my head by now?", I asked, trying my best not to sound rude.

**_No...why? Ohhhh...I see how it is. You wanna see my true form! I get it now..., _**said the spirit.

My face flushed a little. "N-No I didn't mean it that way!"

**_Don't worry, I'm teasing._** the spirit said, as usual. **_You'll have to summon me out of your head by reading my name off the summoning wall._**

"But I cant read!", I said, a bit worried. "Shall I ask one of the Grand Chase members to?"

I heard no answer, so I assumed it was a 'yes'. I still wanted to know what was the spirit's true intentions. Was it just to be free or to bring destruction to the world? I couldn't find out until I tried. The Grand Chase team and I walked up the stairs, only to be interrupted by some monsters who looked like mutated bats.

"Since no one's been here a long time, it looks like monsters have made this their new home.", Lire explained.

"Well, we should get rid of these monsters.", Sieghart said.

"Agreed.", I said. I started by twirling my javelin, then casted sleep magic, which caused them to sleep. " 'Kay guys, you can kill them more easily now."

Everyone went and started to attack the sleeping mutated bats. They ended up dead in the first few minutes. It was a really easy battle, and it didn't take long either. "Thanks for that, Vanilla. You just turned what could have been a long fight, into a short fight.", Ryan said.

"Your welcome!", I said happily.

"That was too easy!", Elesis exclaimed aloud. "You made it too easy, Vanilla. I hate easy battles."

"Sorry about that...", Vanilla said, a little bit disappointed, but then her face brightened up. "Next time, I won't cast sleep so I don't make the battle easy, okay?"

Elesis just nodded in agreement and we all walked past the mutated bats and went up the stairs. I hated these steps. They were so steep and it was taking so long...but the walk to this place didn't take all that long. I still wondered, what was up with this island? Is it always like this or are we disrupting the peace on the island by being here? I decided to ask the spirit again.

"Spirit? Where will I find info on Cerulean Island? Is it here?", I whispered. I still didn't get how I couldn't communicate with thoughts. I had to talk out loud for the spirit to hear me.

**_You'd have to ask the Aaerions, the people that rule most of Cerulean Island, for that info. They didn't want it here so, they kept it away with them. _**the spirit said. **_If you ask nicely, they'll probably give the info out._** I already knew the spirit was being sarcastic when it said that. **_Then again, if you come on their territory without reason, they'll attack you. And believe me, they have a strong military force._**

I gulped at the thought and then I had the image of them attacking us. Big, strong, ruthless...wait, what where Aaerions? Were they the forest wolves or are they someone else? I didn't look and accidentally tripped on the stairs, almost falling on top of Jin and Mari.

"Oww!", I said. "That hurts! Can someone help me up, please?"

Arme and Lire pulled me up, but I had a feeling I sprained my ankle or something. "Arme, can you heal my ankle, please?", I asked nicely.

Arme healed my ankle and I noticed that there were some paintings on the wall. They were all different people from different races. Humans, Demons, and others I have yet to know. I also think there's probably Aaerions, even though I have no idea how they look. I pointed up and said, "Who are those people?"

"Those are royalty.", Dio said.

"Oh...", I said, then paused. "How do you know? Have a relative or a friend up there?"

"Yeah.", Dio said. It looks like he didn't want to get into detail, so I didn't ask him anymore questions.

* * *

><p>Soon, we got to the top of the place. It had even more space than the bottom floor. My legs felt like water because of the climbing and I bet a lot of people felt the same. The top floor had many, many books on the walls. There was also, directly on top of the books, a royal family. I caught sight of the summoning wall, which was on my left. I left everyone and walked over there. I squinted my eyes at the wall, because I couldn't read.<p>

"Spirit? Where's your name here?", I asked.

**_Up there, in the top left-hand corner. Ask someone in the group to read it. I, for one, recommend Sieghart or Dio._**

_Why them? _I thought to myself. I walked back and poked Sieghart in the shoulder. He turned around.

"Sieghart...can you help with something for a moment?", I asked.

"Sure.", he said.

We both walked back to the summoning wall, and I pointed to the top left-hand corner. The writing was neat, fancy cursive and was glowing bright purple. "Okay, just read the name right there!"

Sieghart looked up at the name and read, " Kaiya Rei Tela Lightning...? The name sounds familiar..."

Suddenly, the glow from the name starting glowing brighter than before. So bright, that it caused some sort of flash. I heard a shriek of laughter coming from close by. We both turned around to see a demon spirit levitating in mid-air. I blinked and realized it was the spirit in my head. She had a pale, purple face and red eyes like Dio, except they we're more noticeable. Her hair was short and uneven, like it was cut off. She also wore a long, dark purple dress. Unlike Dio, she had no horns. Instead she had a tail. Was she another class of demon?

"Ha ha ha! At long last! This is a dream come true!", she said in a cocky voice. "I'm free and I've found you, Sieghart!", she said as her expression turned a bit nicer. "Do you remember me?"

"All to well!", Sieghart said. He didn't look all that relaxed anymore. He looked a bit...shocked.

She paused and then laughed again. "I'm so unforgettable, aren't I?", she said with that sarcastic tone.

I jumped in and stated. "I'm lost. Care to explain, please?"

"Well-", Sieghart started, but then was cut off by the demon.

"I'll read the books to you about this.", she stated. "Besides, isn't my voice more wonderful to hear than his?", she said with sarcasm, then she laughed.

Kaiya floated on over to the history books. Everyone saw the demon floating in front of me. Most of them had a shocked expression, except Mari, Dio, Sieghart, and Zero, who just ignored it like it was normal. She picked up a book and she sat down on the floor.

"Um...miss? What do I call you?", I asked.

"Call me...Tela. My middle name. Okay?", Tela said, in a nicer expression than her usual sarcastic or cocky remarks.

"What's that book, anyways?", I asked.

"All about me! Yep, it's a book about me!", Tela said.

I squinted and nodded. She read about most of her past life as a little kid. I didn't know she could be so serious; as in a little child, I mean. She became royal and worked for the dark side. She didn't tell me about how she died. I just assumed that she died by someone on the side of good. I just shrugged and stuck with it. I also quickly realized that Tela had a temper, just like Elesis.

"Who are you?", Ryan asked curiously but Tela took it the wrong way.

"Who am I! WHO AM I!", she repeated, the second time being in a booming voice. "Haven't you heard of books before!"

Ryan started to back off, in an unpleasant way. He said nothing after that, and Tela's temper wore off after that.

"Well, we should hurry up and get out of here before the Aaerions come. They don't take too lightly to people on their domain. And we're on it.", Tela said. I shook my head and pretty much everyone noticed.

"I don't want to go yet.", I said. "This place makes me feel at home. I want to stay for a little bit."

Tela blinked. She said nothing, like she actually understood how I felt.

"You must be homesick. Anyways, we should get going before these 'Aaerions' find us.", Ronan urged.

At first, I really wanted to stay, because it felt like home, before I was living on the island. I wonder if I was close to finding out my about what happened before the island. After a long stretch of silence, I finally said, "...Fine. But let me get something before I go."

I saw this book while Tela was reading to me. It was a book about dreams. I took a look at the back, then inside. It was in perfect condition and this was the information I needed to become a bit stronger. I'm learning about dreams and how to manipulate them and how to read a dream. I ran back to the team. That's when I felt something in the air, something bad.

"Does anyone feel something weird and ominous?", I asked.'

"I feel it too.", Zero said.

"I somewhat feel it.", Dio said.

"That's the presence of the Aaerions. They probably know someones on their turf.", Tela said. "We go through the back door. Not the way we came from. But the way to the back door is riddled with monsters. You guys ready?"

Everyone looked prepared for battle, anyways. The team, including me, nodded. We all headed for the back door, and as soon as we pushed it opened, a green slime along with other green slimes dropped down in front of us. Arme backed off a little.

"Eew! I hate those green things!", Arme exclaimed as she jumped and used a firebolt. It hit the melted one of the slimes.

"Nice aim!", I said as Arme nodded slowly.

"We better take care of these things if we're going to get through.", Sieghart said.

"Dude, just squish them. They're just slimes.", Tela said. "Step on 'em."

Sieghart shrugged and step on one. It turned all slimy on his foot. The slime stuck to his feet.

"Gee, thanks.", Sieghart said in a sarcastic way. "You ruined my new shoes."

"I think they were already ruined as soon as you walked upon the island.", Tela said and smiled.

Sieghart frowned and we squished the slimes, just like what Tela said. There were definitely monsters, but they didn't come to attack us, they gave us an evil grin, though. It was creepy and weird. I had a feeling there was a much bigger challenge than bats and slimes. Much, much bigger. I gulped at the thought. Ryan noticed and turned to me.

"A bit scared, Vanilla?", he asked.

"I'm not scared.", I said and I took a deep breath. "Just...thinking."

"Right.", Ryan said and turned back to Ronan, who he was talking to before.

Maybe Ryan's right. Maybe I am a bit scared. I had to stop thinking and clear up my mind of the clutter. I guess I'll just talk to someone. That'll clear my mind, a bit. Just then, Dio turned to Tela.

"I thought you said there were many monsters down here.", Dio said.

"There are.", Tela said. "They're just in hiding. Their leader might come and test our strength, maybe."

Tela flew on past Dio, all the way up to Elesis. Dio looked at her cautiously, like she was a threat. Maybe she is a threat. Maybe she has all these monsters under her care, under her control. I was thinking again! I need to stop thinking for a while. My mind is getting tired. Or is it that it's nightfall?

I haven't heard from Willow since we came. She in the care of Amy, who was with Arme and Jin. I went to go see if Willow was all right.

"Hey Amy, how's Willow?", I asked.

"She's sleeping right now.", Amy said, as she stroked her. "She's such a good cat! Did you train her yourself?"

I shook my head. "When I found her, she was already trained and everything."

"Still, she's a cutie!", Amy said with a flashy smile.

"Thanks.", I said.

* * *

><p>We got all the way to the bottom. My legs felt like water...again. As soon as we got to the bottom, we heard a loud grumble. An ancient golem came out from hiding and was standing in front of the back door.<p>

"Damn! The leader came out.", Tela said bitterly.

"Let's get this over with.", Elesis said. "And get out of here."

The golem was definitely angry. It spoke in another dialect, probably to it's minions to attack. Bats and slimes and bugs came out and attacked us.

"Miss Arme can you handle these in one shot?", Ronan asked.

"Yep! Just give me a minute to charge my mana.", Arme said.

She stood in a position, held her staff and said 'The holy light will lead us!'. I guess that it's how she charges her mana. I heard a number of moves being called out as it happened. Using some of my mana, I summoned a moving ghost underneath to attack the monsters standing. After my move, I turned back to see Arme ready to fire.

"Everyone get out of the way!", Arme said as she whirled her staff and striked it down. "Air blast!"

A circle of air came out and really blasted those monsters. The golem was probably even more agitated that we defeated if not all, most of his minions. We proceeded with attacking him. The golem made a really loud noise that shook the whole place. I held onto Arme's staff for balance. And then we heard something like a gunshot...just like when we we're trying to find the temple. The golem fell to the ground and we had no choice but to run.

"Run to whatever you came in!", Tela said. We all ran past the golem and out the door.

* * *

><p><em><span>Meanwhile... (No one's POV)<span>  
><em>

A girl in a purple dress came and saw the backdoor hanging open. "I knew people were here."

Another girl followed her casually. "Yeah. I thought we locked this place up. Who opened the passage?"

"I don't know.", the girl in the purple dress said. "Where did the book of dreams go? Who took it?"

"Don't ask me! Didn't those people read? They can't steal books from here!", the other girl said. "Thieves! Demons!"

"Send a search squad, okay?", the purple-dressed girl said.

The other girl nodded and ran out the back door. She quickly looked to see if she saw the thieves. She didn't see anybody and she ran back to her village.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay! That's another chapter done! Hope it's not boring! :P

Things to clarify:

1. I didn't go into detail with Tela's past because that'll be revealed later.

2. Aaerions are just another race (more detail about this later)

3. The two girls at the end will be introduced next chapter. All I can say is that 1 is a minor OC and 1 is a major OC in the story.


	5. The Aaerions

**A/N: Sorry about how long it took to update! My schedule was tight at the time. Anyways, it's here now. To be honest, it was a bit rushed.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 5: The Aaerions<span>

"We need to report this to Knight Master!", Elesis said, running.

"Wait- who's 'Knight Master'?", Vanilla asked.

"Knight Master is the one who formed Grand Chase to stop Kaze'aze.", Sieghart said. "She's also the one who sends us on missions. She sent us on a mission to investigate Cerulean Island."

"Well, we're not having much luck with the investigation.", Ronan said quickly.

They all ran quickly, struggling to get off the island. They were people running in the bushes faster than Vanilla can ever go. They definitely weren't human. The Grand Chase team noticed that there was a whole bunch of these people, running around in bushes and trees, following them.

"Why don't they like us?", Amy asked innocently. "We didn't mean to invade their property."

"Amy's right; why are they angry?", Jin asked.

"Maybe something else bothers them.", Mari said intelligently. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"But what?", Vanilla asked. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw their boat. "Hey look! It's the boat!"

Everyone ran and got onto the boat. Vanilla unlatched it and the boat moved. But then, a mysterious person arouse from the bushes and shot the boat multiple times and caused it to flood. It was impossible to swim in the ocean all the way back. They jumped back onto land and were surrounded by the Aaerions.

"Hey Dio- they all have horns, just like you do.", Vanilla whispered to the demon.

"But they're not demon. Nor human.", Dio said, frustrated. "What the hell are they?"

"Why have you come?", their leader asked.

"We were sent on a mission to investigate the island.", Elesis said. "We're Grand Chase, and I'm Elesis, the leader of the team."

They were extremely fast at tying them up and carrying them to the village. Elesis kept trying to tell them that they're making a big mistake. Their leader duct-taped Elesis, and it was pretty quiet from then on, until we got to their village. The Aaerions threw them onto the ground in the middle of their small village.

* * *

><p>The elder and his daughter came out and looked down at the Grand Chase team. The elder was described as a human-looking old man with only one giant horn on the left side of his head. He had short, white hair and was pretty tall. He wore royal clothing and had a rod with him.<p>

His daughter was described as a young human-looking teenager, like Vanilla, but was less optimistic. She had two small horns on both sides of her head. She had shoulder-length light green hair and was also tall. She wore a plain, but royal purple dress.

"I'm the elder of this village, and this is my daughter, Renma.", said the elder.

"Hey, aren't those the people the ones we saw in the picture at the Temple?", Vanilla whispered.

"They are.", Dio said.

"Quiet!", said the elder. "Anyways, we shall take you to your rooms." he pointed to the group that captured us. "Take them to their rooms, please!"

* * *

><p><em><span>Vanilla's POV<span>_

I was taken to a barren room. It was an empty room with only a bed and a closet. It seemed like jail. I sat on the bed, waiting for nothing. Suddenly, the leader came into my room and stood proudly.

"What's your name?", she asked, trying to act polite.

"Vanilla.", I said, innocent. "What's yours?"

She seemed a bit taken back, but she regained her composure and said, "Sophie."

She walked out and left me to stay in my temporary room. Dio, Zero, and Sieghart slipped out of their rooms and came to mine, probably only to talk to Tela. Weird thing is that, she hasn't talked to me from the time that we started running away.

"What the hell!", Tela shouted out, which surprised all of us. "Last time I checked Sieghart, you were never friends with Dio. You both tried to kill each other long time ago."

"I guess that's all been resolved, isn't that right?", Sieghart said, referring to Tela as well.

"That Renma girl is weird...", I siad, quickly changing the topic before things got out of hand.

"I don't sense anything out of the ordinary from her, though.", Zero commented.

"She's not human and she's not demon. She's an Aaerion! What the hell is that?", Dio said, frustrated again.

"Aaerions are human-demon hybrids. They have excellent speed and senses while possessing traits of humans.", a girl said.

We all turned around to see Renma. She had these cold eyes that were surely not welcoming. She had a uncaring facial expression that was mean. Everyone was shocked to see her that they didn't make a run for it out of the room.

"Vanilla...what is your full name?", Renma asked.

"Vanilla val Verdu Lille. It means vanilla-covered lily. Why do you ask?", I asked.

"Because you're an Aaerion that's been missing for a long time.", Renma said. "An important one, at that. You were trying to become our first sorcerer back then. But then that Kounat war affected us here, too. During that time, you got lost, and a certain hero saved you that day and got you to an island where you would be safe. That was what the watchers were saying after you got off Cerulean Island."

My mouth dropped open and I realized I was one of them. "I am in shock. I never knew.", I said, being honest. "Who saved me that day? I must give my gratitude to the person."

"Hmm...I don't remember. ", Renma said. "That's okay, I guess. They're probably dead by now. You are about 595 years old."

My face twisted into a confused and shocked expression. I felt old, even though I wasn't so self-conscious about myself. "So how old are you? I mean, you look like you're in your mid 20s."

"Aaerions live a long time so, I may look younger than I really am. I'm actually 805. I'm 210 years older than you."

I listened carefully because my own race, the Aaerions, sounded really interesting. Sieghart and Dio weren't very impressed with Renma. I wondered why. Renma is the exact same way with the two of them, as well.

'And tension is in the air...', Tela popped up and said with a sheepish grin. 'Two certain people don't like our newcomer. But someone is feeling like her hero is in the room.'

I narrowed my eyes at crap that Tela was saying, though it was true. It looked like Sieghart and Dio didn't like Renma. And me...well I felt that Sieghart might've been the one who saved me that day as a child. It was unlikely, but I had a nagging feeling.

It became dead silence and I decided to leave the room to go to Arme's and Lire's to talk. I was happy to find out about myself a little more, but I felt that Renma wasn't telling the whole story. Maybe she'll tell me the rest for another time. And since when can Tela read minds? Geez.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This chapter's shorter than my previous ones! So sorry about that! Still, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Renma and Sophie are new OCs. **


	6. Relaxing

**A/N: This time, I didn't rush (yay!) and this chpater seems fine to me. A lot of info to take in from this chapter :P. Also, it's a lot longer this time and a mini side story, too!**

**As usual, I don't own grand Chase, I only own Vanilla, Willow, Renma, and Sophie!**

Chapter 6: Relaxing**  
><strong>

_Vanilla's POV_

I walked over to Lire's and Arme's rooms. Renma followed me for no reason, then turned me around.

"Vanilla, do you know where the book of Dreams is?", Renma asked. "It's missing from the Temple of Knowledge."

I didn't really want to lie, but I'm scared that she'll punish me severely if I tell her I have it, "...No...I don't know where it is."

Renma pur her hands on her hips and tilted her head, "You're not a very good liar. I know you have it." Before I could say anything, Renma said again, "I just wanted to make sure your demon friends never had it."

She left me wondering, _why doesn't she like Dio and Zero?_ I shook it off, and went to Lire's and Arme's room once again. Tela appeared again, which I didn't want that much. Oh well, I'd do best not to say anything. I knocked on the door and all the girls were playing cards with Sophie.

"Hey guys!", I said, then remembered Willow. "Oh my gosh! One minute! Need to get Willow. I think I left him with the elder."

"Don't worry. We'll be right here.", Lire said.

I ran downstairs and out of the place, which I wasn't exactly supposed to do. I found the elder, but he wasn't very happy with me. "Someone really doesn't want you here.", Tela warned, but I ignored her. Willow jumped out of the bag, and ran towards me.

The elder was walking towards me. _Uh...I'm in trouble. _That's when Renma ran to her dad and explained the situation. The elder's intense face softened up a bit. I guess Renma told who I am.

* * *

><p><em>End of Vanilla's POV<em>

"Vanilla. You've changed so much that I don't even recognize you.", the elder said. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay.", Vanilla said and thought for a moment. "Are you gonna free my friends now?"

"Yes, of course!", the elder said. "By the way, where's Sophie?"

"She's playing cards with my teammates.", Vanilla said.

The elder nodded and Vanilla went back inside the place. She wanted to tell them that they were free to go. Tela appeared once again. She kept disappearing and appearing whenever she pleases. It didn't bother Vanilla much, just as long as she didn't say anything sarcastic.

_Tela seems so quiet these days, like she's obligated to be quiet. Usually she talks alot, but this time, she doesn't. I wonder if the village has something to do with her. Wait...what am I saying? Everything is pretty much connected to this island and this village!_

Vanilla got up to Lire/ Arme's room. They looked surprised as she opened the door abruptly. "We're free now!"

They knew what it meant and they walked down the stairs. The boys opened the door and saw the girls leaving. They just decided to leave with them. When Vanilla came out, Renma was there, waiting for her. "Vanilla, won't you and your friends stay for dinner with the royal family and the Aaerion Hoshi ceremony?"

"I'd love to! Thank you for the offer! I'll go ask.", Vanilla said.

Vanilla went to Elesis and Sieghart directly, only because they're the leaders. "Elesis, Sieghart, Renma's asking if we can all stay for dinner and their Aaerion Hoshi ceremony!"

"I wish we could, Vanilla, but we have to get back. We can't stay, and I don't want to, either.", Elesis said.

"But-but...we'll miss the ceremony if we go now...can't we stay just for one night?", Tears already started to form in Vanilla's eyes. Elesis completely forgot about how easily she cries.

"No we can't. We have to get back.", Elesis said, then saw a tear drop from Vanilla's eye. "Oh no. Stop crying, Vanilla! "

That made it even worse as Vanilla cried a lot this time. Vanilla threw a fit this time, and Sieghart looked at his granddaughter. "You really know how to cheer people up, Red..."

"Don't worry! We'll stay here until tomorrow.", Sieghart said reassuringly. "Besides, I need a break from all this creepy stuff happening."

Elesis got really mad with what his granddad said. "What are you talking about? You lazy old man!"

"R-Really? We can stay? Yay!", The tears stopped coming and Vanilla was now very bright. She ran off to Arme and Lire, and they were now talking to each other.

* * *

><p>"So you are one of the Aaerions?", Arme asked, a bit confused by Vanilla's story.<p>

Vanilla nodded a lot. She was clearly excited about being an Aaerion. From Vanilla's perspective, it was good to be an Aaerion and she was proud to be one. Arme and Lire were pretty surprised when they found out their new friend was both a human and a demon, but they excepted her as a friend, demon or human or both.

"Hey guys!", Sophie appeared out of nowhere. "Dinner's almost ready!"

"Sophie!", the three of them said in unison. "Dinner's almost ready already?"

"Time goes much faster on this island than other places. What's actually a day can feel like a few hours on the island. Pretty eerie, eh?", Sophie said, and they were intrigued by what she said.

Sophie directed them to the royal palace the elder and Renma owned. Inside the palace, she gave them a tour of the place. She showed them the guests' rooms, the kitchen, the living room, the mini 'museum', Renma's, Sophie's, and the elder's rooms. Finally was Vanilla's old room, the one she had before she vanished.

"Wow, Vanilla! Your room is adorable~", Arme said, as she was in awe.

"Thanks! I love it, too! I wouldn't change a single thing in here!", Vanilla said. "Okay, maybe the color of the room...it's all pink!"

The four of them walked into the room. Lire saw a picture of a girl that had Vanilla's light brown hair and her giant opal eyes. She was wearing a dress in the picture and looked short and frail. "Vanilla, is this you?", Lire asked, holding up the picture.

"It is. It's Vanilla on her 110th birthday.", Sophie said.

"What age was Vanilla when she vanished?", Arme asked.

"About...115 years old.", Sophie said. "She vanished for 480 years."

"I don't remember it being that long.", Vanilla said.

Lire turned to Sophie and asked, "So...how was Vanilla when she was younger?"

"Well...it looks as though she's still as immature as before, but it looks like she's learned a lot more. Most of the time, she studied the workings of a special type of magic, dream magic. Now, it looks as though she hasn't forgotten about dream magic and the spells. But now it looks like she cries a lot easier than before...", Sophie said.

* * *

><p><em><span>Vanilla's POV<span>_

It was dinner time, and everyone was at the royal table. I was near Renma and Dio. They gave each other death glares, which was really weird, because they had no reason to hate each other, unless...

"Dinner's ready!", Sophie said, in a high-pitched voice.

"Is there cherry pie for dessert?", Lass asked.

"Yeah! Vanilla told me you loved cherry pie.", Sophie said, then she and Lass turned to me. I shrugged.

"I like being helpful. If there's a situation where I can't be helping, then I'll mentally slap myself.", I said, then laughed.

On the table was chicken (stew chicken, baked chicken), rice (with and without peas), bread, spaghetti (with or without meatballs), gravy, noodles, and fish. We picked whatever we wanted and ate. We were talking while eating our dinner. I had the urge to ask Renma something, so I asked. Actually, I had a lot of questions.

"Renma, why don't you like demons? And why does Willow act so hyper on the island? And why are there giant creatures? And why is there distortions and mist coming from the temple?", I asked and everyone gave me a weird look.

"For the first question, Aaerions don't really...bond well with demons. Something happened in the past and we're now enemies. Second question, Willow is probably just happy to be back. Willow, after all, did come from here and was your pet. ", Renma said and paused. "Third question, it's normal, don't concern yourself. Fourth question, the mist and all is something we can't answer because we don't know."

"Wait! How do you not know why there's mist? Didn't you and your family live there?", Ronan asked.

"The mist came after we left...", Renma said.

"Tela, aren't you gonna eat?", I asked, and Tela gave me a frightening look.

"I only eat other people's spirits. Unless...", Tela said and I shook my hands, knowing where this was going.

"No, it's okay.", I said and grinned.

We we're all done our meals. Sophie said that people can't have anymore food, after Elesis kept asking for more meat. I watched as Renma and the elder were going back and forth between outside and the palace. "Hey, Vanilla, are you excited?"

I turned around to see it was Ryan. "Yeah! I just know that the Hoshi ceremony is gonna be great!", I said excited. "I hope there's a lot of stars in the sky when it happens. That'll be beautiful."

Okay, so maybe I was getting a little too excited. I went to my old room, which was beside the guest rooms. I had a chair there and starting bouncing up and down on it like I was hyper. I did that until it made a loud crack and collapsed. Mari came into my rooms and said, "I know you're excited for the ceremony, but can you be a little less excited. I can hear you from my guest room."

She left and I tried to be less excited. I had a feeling I was high. It was probably because it was more of a festival than an actual ceremony, just that 'the Aaerions called it a ceremony', says Renma.

* * *

><p>It was time for the ceremony. Funny that time went by so fast; it was already dark. Sadly, there was no stars in the sky, which I was upset about. "Aww! It's sad that there's no stars in the sky...just clouds. I hope that there will be stars.", I said, a bit sad.<p>

The ceremony started off with Renma and Sophie singing Hoshiyomi*. I never knew that Renma could sing really well, only because she doesn't look like the type that can. Renma was the main singer and Sophie was doing the echoing and the whispers. They sung in Japanese and their own language, Ea, for some parts.

They had alot of performances, like the Hoshi goddess, which was about the goddess they worshiped. They also had a funny, cute performance called 'The Lost Star', which was based on me. I had no idea until I showed up near the ending, all grown up. "I look so cu~te there!"

"You're the star of the show, Vanilla!", Amy said, coming from somewhere in the crowd. It was so dark, I couldn't see anybody. All I can see was the stage and the performances. I looked up and saw the stars coming out of hiding, and I jumped up and down. It was a good time to end the ceremony.

The ceremony ended with fireworks, which were shaped as stars, small ones and big ones. Now, I could see everyone watching the fireworks. "There so cu~te and beautiful!"

"They are!"

I jumped when I heard Sieghart beside me. "Don't scare me! I didn't see you there, and I didn't expect you to be here."

"What, you don't want company? Kay, c'ya.", Sieghart said as he left into the crowd.

Now I felt lonely and went back inside to my room. So maybe I was a bit harsh, but he scared me! That was not nice. "Not all things in the world are supposed to be nice and respectful. Sometimes you just have to deal with things like that. Anyways, you are so much fun to tag along with!", Tela chimed in.

"What do you mean?", I asked, reffering to the last sentence she said.

"You're full of surprises! That's why I tagged along with you.", Tela said.

"I thought you're tagging along to try and get back at Sieghart and some others...?", I said, now awfully confused. I don't get Tela sometimes. She's so confusing.

_Tela's POV_

I floated off into the night to get some starfruit for Vanilla. I can't blame her for being confused. I can be confusing, but only because I want to be. "Excuse me! Getting starfruit for the dream caster!"

The Aaerions looked at me with shock. Obviously, they've never seen a flying demon spirit. They all backed off and I took the starfruit and left. I could tell they're really don't like me. After all, they don't like demons and I'm a demon...spirit.

"Starfruit!", I yelled when I got into Vanilla's room and threw it at the sleeping Vanilla. She immediately jumped up and glared at me. I started laughing and rolling on the floor.

"That wasn't nice, Tela! I was having a wonderful dream...", Vanilla said quietly.

"Hey! What did I just say about 'dealing with it?", I said, then paused. I gave Vanilla an evil smirk. "What was you dream about? Your future boyfriend?"

"No! Tela!", Vanilla shouted. I started laughing again. "I was dreaming about jumping on starfruit..."

"...with Sieghart.", I said and smiled. Guessing from her agitated reaction, I was right. "You can no longer hide your dreams and thoughts from me! I've gained the ability to read minds! So I also know that..."

"He just popped up out of nowhere!", Vanilla said as a counterattack. I knew a better one.

"Aren't you a dreamcaster? Don't you control dreams?", I said.

Vanilla's eye twitched. "Cra~p! I hate you too, Tela.", She lied down again and went to sleep angrily while I laughed for about an hour, then went to sleep.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks to:**

**Solica & Aira (for reviewing) **

**Namai (for reviewing/story alert/favourite)**

**Clandarrlo Slayer & Ace (for reviweing)**

**Hunter (for reviewing)**

**KenSetsuna (favourite)**

**and Me (for making the story and Vanilla)**

**Vanilla: Yes! Thanks a lot! That last bit was inappropriate and unacceptable!**

**Me: But I'm the author...I can do whatever I want with the story!**

**Vanilla: *goes to the emo corner***

**Me: Anyways, I'm asking the authors with OCs for permission to use their OCs from chapter 8 onwards, if that's okay :) And some little things to clear up in the story; Vanilla does swear, but that's on a rare occasion (like when Tela annoyed her that last part). The song that Renma was singing is called Hoshiyomi by Shikata Akiko. It's sung in Japanese and Hymonos (made up language). I replaced Hymonos with the Aaerions' language, Ea. And yes, this is a SieghartXOC story. The secret pairing has been revealed!  
><strong>

**Vanilla: NOOO!**

**Me: YESSS!**

**:P  
><strong>


	7. Don't Tell

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's another chapter! This chapter, we're going to torture Vanilla!**

**Vanilla: Why me? **

**Me: *shrugs* I felt like it? **

**Tela: Ha ha!**

**Me: Don't worry Tela, you'll be tortured soon.**

**Tela: =_= **

**Me: Now for the Disclaimer: I don't own Grand Chase. Only my OCs. :)**

Chapter 7: Don't Tell.

_Vanilla's POV_

_I was inside my dream of starfruit. I was jumping on starfruit with Sieghart...again. Then, Siegahrt slipped and fell into the trench at the bottom. I went after him and encountered Tela. She looked like a cross between a serpent and a dragon._

_"Vanilla Lille! I know your secret!", Tela said._

_"Uh..so what if you know? It's not like you can tell him that I like him!", I said, then realized that Sieghart was in Tela's little dragon hands, listening._

_"You're right. I can't because you just did!", Tela said, then started laughing. She started chanting 'Vanilla likes Sieghart!' over and over again. It was awful._

_"Leave me alone!", I shouted._

_Lire's POV_

I heard Vanilla shouting 'Leave me alone' over and over again. I grabbed my composite bow, thinking she was in danger. Ryan and Ronan also came out of their rooms with their weapons. When we arrived to her room, she was just sleeping and dreaming. "False alarm.", I said.

Then we saw a marking on Vanilla's forehead. We never noticed it until now because her hair covered her forehead all the time. "What is that on her forehead?", I asked, shocked.

We went to examine it a bit closer. "It's a marking. Is it part of Aaerion tradition?", Ryan asked.

"It could be, but the princess nor Sophie has it.", Ronan said. "We should tell the others about it."

"I wonder if Vanilla knows about it...", I said, thinking if she really does know.

Vanilla jumped out of bed saying 'Stop bothering me!'. Then she looked up at us and turned red. "Uh...sorry. I was having a nightmare."

I looked at Ryan, who looked at Ronan, who was looking at Vanilla's forehead. Finally, he said, "That's okay. But you did give us a scare. You started screaming 'leave me alone', so we thought you were in danger."

We left to our own rooms. I was still wondering what was that marking and if Vanilla knows it's on her forehead.

_Vanilla's POV_

"Tela...", I said.

"Yes?", Tela answered back.

"Would you really tell Sieghart that I like him?", I asked.

"I'm not that evil. I'd probably tell other people though.", Tela said. "I can't keep a secret for long."

"Can you at least not tell anyone until we get back? Please?", I asked, with puppy eyes.

"Sure!", Tela said with an evil smirk. I had a feeling she was going to tell other people. I better keep an eye on her.

* * *

><p><em><span>3rd Person POV<span>_

It was breakfast time and the Grand Chase members sat down at the table. Sophie was serving out breakfast to everyone. Ronan and Ryan were keeping a close eye on Vanilla and Vanilla was keeping a sharp eye on Tela. Tela leaned over to Mari and said, "Wanna know a secret...?"

"Not interested.", Mari said, with her head in her book.

"What secret?", Dio asked.

"Oh, just a little secret about Vanilla. Right, Vanilla?", Tela said, turning towards Vanilla, who was annoyed.

"What is the secret?", Dio asked Vanilla. It caught the attention of almost everyone now. They all waited patiently for her secret.

"Uh...my little secret is that...I have an empty water bottle collection in my room! I found it just yesterday in the bottom of my closet.", Vanilla said. Everyone looked at her like she was a weirdo. Luckily, for Vanilla, it was the honest truth.

Everybody shrugged and got back to eating their food. Tela shook her head and whispered, "What's so bad about liking someone anyways? It's okay to tell, isn't it?"

"It's embarrassing! And what if he doesn't like me back?", Vanilla said.

Instead of answering her question, Tela said, "You know what's funny? You're sitting across from him."

It was true. She didn't even notice that until now. She looked up and saw him talking to other people. Vanilla felt herself turning red. "Excuse me for a second. I need some fresh air." She got up and quickly walked outside before anyone noticed how much she was blushing.

"I'll go see what's wrong.", Lire announced.

"I'll go, too.", Arme and Sophie said.

They both went outside. By then, Vanilla's face went back to normal. _Geez. What just happened? It's like I just saw him and I blushed like crazy! If only Tela didn't point that out..._

"You okay, Vanilla?", Lire asked.

"I'm fine now. I think.", Vanilla said and she touched her cheeks. They weren't so warm like before.

"What happened?", Arme asked.

"Uh...I was feeling sick..", Vanilla lied. It looked as though Sophie already knew Vanilla was lying.

* * *

><p><em>Back inside...<em>

"What happened to Vanilla?", Elesis asked, turning towards Tela.

"I'm not allowed to tell. Especially to people like you.", Tela smiled and Elesis got angry.

"What's that supposed to mean, purple?", Elesis said. Everyone was holding down Elesis so she doesn't lash out at Tela.

"Calm down, Elesis!", Ronan said. "What happened to Vanilla, Tela?"

"I'm not obligated to tell you either.", Tela said and smiled.

"Tela! Tell us what happened to Vanilla!", Sieghart demanded.

"I would tell all of you, but I can't.", Tela said, then turned to Sieghart. "Especially you, but I still can't."

Everyone turned to stare at Sieghart. He shrugged and said, "I didn't do anything."

Vanilla was walking to her room, when everyone stared at her. Probably for an explanation as to why she went outside all of a sudden.

"Why did you go outside, Vanilla?", Elesis demanded. "And I need a straight answer from you."

* * *

><p><em>Vanilla's POV<em>

"...I was feeling sick.", I lied. I hoped this works. Renma looked as though she already knew it was a lie. "I just needed a bit of fresh air."

"Then you should go lie down. We'll call you when we're ready to go.", Elesis said.

I just walked back to my room and Tela followed me, which was a good thing because I really didn't want Tela to tell anyone about _him._ Tela looked as though she was struggling to keep the secret. "Tela...if you want, you can tell about me liking Sieghart when we get back, 'kay?"

"You like Sieghart, Vanilla!", Sophie said, eavesdropping from my door probably. I was about to say something when she said,"You realize that you'll have to tell him someday.", Sophie said. "Unless...I can tell him for you!"

"Er...it's okay! I'll tell him myself! By...this week!", I said, then covered my mouth.

"Good luck, Vanilla! I'll tell Lire or Arme about your secret. Then I'll get them to watch over your progress.", Sophie said and she left. She stopped at said, "Don't worry, I'll tell them to not tell anyone."

I started to hit my head against the wall and Tela started laughing on the floor. I didn't mean to tell Sophie that! Three people already knew about this! It's going to be hard to keep my secret away from people.

* * *

><p><em><span>Elesis's POV<span>_

"Okay Vanilla, we're ready to go!", I said. "Pack up your things."

The team and I headed outside the palace. Vanilla was just about ready to go, when Renma gave her an object and some kind of paper. It looked like the book of Dreams and something else. Sophie was whispering something in Vanilla's ear, which made her embarrassed.

I still wondered what was Vanilla's secret and if it had to do with the old man. I was in thought until Ronan told me something. "Elesis, we found a mark on Vanilla's head when she was sleeping. Apparently, she doesn't know it's on her head."

"Hmm...keep an eye on her for now.", I said. "Tell me if she's acting strange."

* * *

><p><em>Sophie's POV<em>

"Here's the book of Dreams and this.", Renma said. It looked like a job change scroll."Checkmark everything that you've done on the scroll. And be honest. When you're done, you'll become a Dreameater and your weapon will appear in front of you. If you checkmark things you haven't done, you'll still change your job but you'll be pretty weak."

"Thanks, Princess Renma.", Vanilla said happily.

I pulled back Vanilla and whispered, "Oh and you should be careful not to blush. When Aaerions blush, their whole face turns red. For Aaerions, when no one knows about their crush, nothing happens, but if someone knows, they start blushing."

"Uh...okay?", Vanilla said, slightly confused and embarrassed, but her expression changed quickly. "Bye! Hope to see you again!"

Renma teleported Vanilla and her friends back to Bermesiah. Seeing Vanilla alive and well made me happy.

* * *

><p><em><span>Jin's POV<span>_

We we're near a castle and we started walking. Ryan already told me about Vanilla's mark on her forehead and we were all keeping an eye on her. I was still curious about her secret. That's when Amy tugged on my arm and said, "Vanilla's acting pretty strange. I wonder what's wrong."

She was right; Vanilla looked dazed. I walked up to Vanilla and said, "Vanilla?"

She jumped forward and turned around to see me. "Hey Jin..", she said nervously.

"Are you okay? You seem out of it...", I said to her.

"Sorry! I was just in thought!", Vanilla said. "I seem to be distracted...", she said, then turned all red, like she was embarrassed. Then, Vanilla just shook her head. "I'm sorry! It was nothing.."

"Vanilla~? Do you have a crush on someone~?", Amy said curiously.

Vanilla shook her head rapidly. "No, no. Why would I?", she said, then laughed nervously like a crazed person.

Amy and I smiled. That was probably her secret! When someone has a crush on another person, they don't deny it calmly_. _I said, "Vanilla, who do you have a crush on?"

That got everyone's attention; even Willow, Vanilla's cat. Vanilla looked at about everyone. Then she finally sighed and said, "I don't have a crush_ on anyone._"

Everyone just continued walking. I looked at Vanilla suspiciously. She obviously had a crush on someone. The blushing, the denying, it all explains it! So she was telling the truth, she was sick; _lovesick_ that is.

* * *

><p><em><span>Ronan's POV<span>_

"Why would Jin ask such a question?", I asked Elesis.

"Probably pumpkin-face's idea.", Elesis said. "We should hurry."

Everyone was now curious, maybe. I was curious, too. She definitely had something to hide, but what? "Elesis, is it possible that Vanilla knows about her forehead?"

"I think so. We'll take a look at it when we're back.", Elesis said.

"Isn't there a faster way?", Sieghart asked. "I'm tired of walking."

"Already? You lazy old man!", Elesis shouted.

* * *

><p><em><span>Vanilla's POV<span>_

I giggled at the 'show' Elesis and Sieghart was putting on while they were walking. _Sieghart._ My chest started hurting a little bit. I shook it off like it was nothing. If I complain now, everyone will think something's up.

_An hour later..._

My chest was hurting way more than it did an hour ago. It was very intense this time but I still couldn't complain. Besides, I heard from Ryan that we were almost at Serdin Castle, where Grand Chase's base of operation was. But I couldn't bear it any longer, so I just asked Arme for help.

"Arme? My chest is hurting!", I said quietly to her. "It just happened suddenly!"

"I'll try to treat it.", Arme said, but after many attempts, it was still hurting. "Maybe all you need is bedrest. When we get to Serdin Castle, you can visit the Knight Master, then the Queen, then rest."

"Thanks anyways", I said and smiled. I quickened my pace and pretended like nothing happened. "What are these places? They're cool!"

"We're heading into Elven Forest now.", Elesis said.

"It feels as if I'm home.", Lire said.

"This is like home for me!", Ryan said.

"You feel this way because you guys are elves, right?", I asked.

They both nodded. We all continued walking past Elven Forest, then Kerrie Beach (where I kept yelling out 'Beach!' and everyone got annoyed), then we finally reached Serdin Castle. It was bigger than the Aaerions' Castle. Tela smirked like she was up to something. Then, I remembered what I'd said before.

_"Tela...if you want, you can tell about me liking Sieghart when we get back, 'kay?"_

Why did I say that? In fact, why did I tell Sophie, too? Why did Tela had to read minds? Now just about everyone has their suspicions about me. And finally, why can't people keep secrets? Geez~

I was in thought until I realized everyone left me to go inside already. "Hey, wait for me~"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So this is the end of Chapter 7. Some of the OCs will appear the next chapter. I'm still taking OC requests. If people want, they can use Vanilla. Just send me a PM/review Here are a few things to clear up in the chapter:**

**1. At the beginning of the chapter, Vanilla was dreaming.**

**2. Tela is horrible at keeping secrets.**

**3. When Aaerions have a crush on someone and no one knows, they don't blush. It's when they tell someone that they start blushing...a lot. That's what happened to Vanilla.**

**4. The pain in Vanilla's chest was her suffering from heartache (y'know, when you like someone and you get this feeling in your heart, except for Aaerions, it's more than just a feeling)**

**5. At the end of the chapter, Tela was smirking for another reason. *hint hint*  
><strong>

**6. Vanilla is a horrible on-the-spot thinker and a bad liar.  
><strong>

**7. The mark on Vanilla's forehead is a secret. :)  
><strong>

**8.**** I'm wondering if I should a sequel after this story is done (no, it won't be done anytime soon).**


	8. Vanilla and Grand Chase

**Me: Yay! Chapter 8 is up! I couldn't introduce all the OCs. I only introduced like...one. o.o  
><strong>

**Tela: Why not? And when will you put up that side story?**

**Me: Because I didn't want to introduce them all at once. I hope they're not OOC. Oh, and I'm making a side story. That's Chapter 10, I think. **

**Vanilla: Am I still being tortured?**

**Me: Yeah, sorry. **

**Vanilla: D:**

**Me: Did you know I found a theme song to this whole story?**

**Vanilla: Really? **

**Me: Yup! It's called 'Kiri no Pithos'. To me, it fits the story. Anyways, enough talk...on with the story!**

Chapter 8: Vanilla and Grand Chase

_3rd Person POV_

Vanilla followed Grand Chase not exactly into the castle, but near the castle. Their headquarters were near the castle. Tela looked disappointing that they weren't going into the castle.

"Aww man! We aren't going to see the Queen of Serdin?", Tela asked.

"Nope.", Sieghart said from across his shoulder. "Not that she wants to see you."

Tela made an annoyed face and said, " I didn't ask _you_." After that, Vanilla overheard Tela mutter something like 'drop dead already'. Vanilla didn't bother asking but she was surely confused.

They continued walking and Elesis stopped in front of a door. When she opened it, they all walked in. Elesis said to Vanilla, "I think there should be an empty bedroom. If you find one, put your stuff there and come back downstairs. Knight Master would want to talk to you."

Vanilla nodded and went upstairs. She stopped at the middle of the stairs. She heard two unfamiliar voices.

"Welcome back you guys.", said one person.

"I was so worried~You guys were gone for a long time.", said another person.

She shrugged and continued upstairs. Vanilla hoped that they were nice people, but no one told her that there was others. While Vanilla was walking upstairs, she found an empty bedroom at the end of the hall. She put my stuff in there and returned downstairs. There, a woman with blonde hair was waiting for her.

* * *

><p>"Um...are you Knight Master?", Vanilla asked, shyly. "Elesis told me about you."<p>

"Yes, I am.", Knight Master said. "You must be Vanilla."

Vanilla nodded and Knight Master told Vanilla to follow her. Knight Master told her about Grand Chase and what they're objectives are. Vanilla realized that the blonde haired woman was leading her to the castle nearby. All of a sudden, Knight Master asked Vanilla, "Who is that spirit traveling with you?"

"That's Tela.", Vanilla said. She was confused as to why she asked her that.

"Queen Tela...the feared queen of upper-class demons...", Knight Master mumbled.

_Does she know Tela? And what does she mean by 'Feared Queen of the upper-class demons?', _Vanilla asked herself._ I already knew Tela was a demon, but a Queen!_

They got into the castle to talk to the Queen. At her room, they both bowed at the sight of the Queen of Serdin. After a long chat, the Queen gave her approval for Vanilla to join Grand Chase. Vanilla jumped up and down with excitement. At long last, Vanilla would be able to join Grand Chase, but Knight Master stopped her for a second and said, "We must test you first, to see if you're worthy enough to join."

"So I have to prove my worth to join?", Vanilla asked. "But not now. I'm feeling sick right now...am I'm having this horrible pain in my chest."

"Lie down for a few hours. When you're ready, meet me at the castle's entrance.", Knight Master said. "But we must start your test today."

"Okay, Knight Master. I'll get some rest.", Vanilla said as she walked back to the headquarters.

* * *

><p><em><span>Tela's POV<span>_

I was floating around when Vanilla came back. She just walked to her new room and slammed the door shut. She looked a bit...red. I started to laugh so hard and roll on the floor. I remembered the promise that Vanilla made with me. At dinner, I would tell them because _everyone_ would be there, listening.

I went to Vanilla's room and saw her lying down. Then, she said, "Tela, I'm not feeling well. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you bad at hiding the fact that you have a crush on someone.", I said, crossing my arms. "Everyone has their suspicions. Even _him._"

Vanilla hid her face in the pillow. "I'm screwed. This is you fault."

I gave out a sudden laugh. "My fault? No one else should be blamed because you like someone." I said silently. "I used to like someone, back when I was alive. But...that's a story for another time. I just thought you should know, so you don't feel like the only one."

It looked as though a light bulb had clicked in Vanilla's head. Then, she said, "Tela! You're a genius!"

"Wasn't I always one?", I said sarcastically. "Wait! What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm probably not the only one who has a crush on someone!", Vanilla said. "So I've been stressing over nothing!"

"Pretty much.", I said, then started laughing. When I stopped laughing, someone knocked on the door. "I'll get it."

I floated right through the door straight to Sieghart, who was knocking on the door. "Yeah, what do you want?", I asked lazily.

"I can't believe I'm asking _you _this...", Sieghart muttered, and asked, "But has Vanilla been avoiding me?"

"Quite the contrary.", I said, making a foolish grin. "Vanilla likes you...very, very, very much."

"Isn't that a bit too many 'very' you added?", Sieghart said.

"Go away.", I said, then opened and slammed the door in his face. I could hear when the door hit his nose and I kept laughing while Vanilla looked at me with a worried face. That face Vanilla made frustrated me, and I finally said, "What's wrong now?"

"You told him!", Vanilla said. Now her eye was twitching a little.

I shook my head. "No I didn't." Vanilla shook her head, and I said, "Okay, I sorta did. But he's too stupid to notice."

Vanilla just blinked at me, then turned her head away. We didn't speak on it anymore. Then, Vanilla saw the scroll that Renma gave her. She opened it up and asked me to read it, since she couldn't. "It says...", I couldn't continue because the scroll lit up and a hologram of Renma came up.

"Whoa. That's cool!", Vanilla said.

_'Vanilla, congratulations on becoming the first Dreamcaster in a thousand years. And the Aaerions thought that Dreamcasters we're wiped out during the war.', _said the Renma hologram.

"What war?", Vanilla asked curiously. "And there was other Dreamcasters before me?"

_'That is another story for later. And yes, there were others before you.', _Wow! This scroll can answer your questions, too! The Aaerions know how to develop technology. _'Before the war, there was many dreamcasters. Dreamcasters come on a rare occasion. They are Aaerions with higher intelligence, imagination, and they tend to have a better life span. You see, the average intelligence level is 180 and the average life span of an Aaerion is about 2000 years. These gifted Dreamcasters have intelligence levels at about 200 and life spans of about 2500-3000.' _

Vanilla was very fascinated, you could tell. She just sat there, listened and concentrated. I didn't know that Vanilla could pay attention so well. I thought she had a low attention span. A very low one, in fact. Finally, Vanilla said, "I think I'll continue with this later. I have to become part of the Grand Chase."

* * *

><p>Vanilla walked out of her room, and Willow followed her. She found out and put Willow back in her room. "Sorry Willow, but you can't join me right now." The cat sat on her bed and curled up, while Vanilla walked back out of her room again. I just followed her.<p>

Vanilla looked a tad bit...lost. I asked her, "Looking for something, Vanilla?"

"Looking for the castle's entrance...", Vanilla said.

I laughed. "Guess I should've asked Sieghart to be your guide."

Vanilla knew exactly where this was going and she shook her head. "Uh...no, no, it's fine. Besides, I don't think he'll do it.", The brown-haired girl looked around and said, "Between me and you, I think he might be a little lazy..."

"No kidding.", I joked. "It's probably because he's so old."

Vanilla made an annoyed face. "Tela..._I'm_ almost the same age as him.."

"My bad.", I said, shaking it off as nothing. "Didn't mean to call you old."

Vanilla just walked outside, into the sunlight. She looked around frantically for help. The brown-haired girl found herself back inside headquaters, running around headquaters, upstairs and downstairs, and finally, in the living room. The only person there was Mari, who was reading a book.

"Where did everyone go?", Vanilla asked, looking around in the living room.

"Some went on a mission not long ago.", she said, her eyes not leaving the book. "Some went back in their bedrooms."

"Oh...", Vanilla said. "Do you know where the castle's entrance is?"

"Go east from here. You'll find it.", Mari said.

_Some help she was..._, I thought, then I saw Vanilla leaving out the door again. I followed her outside and saw her going east, just like that Mari said to. _Guess she's not as bad with directions as I thought, _I said to myself. She'd reached the castle entrance, where Knight Master was waiting for her.

"Are you ready for the test, Vanilla?", Knight Master asked.

"Does it involve fighting any of my friends?", Vanilla asked. "I heard that some of the Grand Chase got in because they had to fight someone. Is it true, and do I have to do it if it is true?", Vanilla sounded worried. She didn't like the idea of fighting her own 'friends'.

Knight Master shook her head. "Yes, but not right now. For now, all you have to do is get Treant's apple in Trial Forest. "

"That's it? That sounds easy.", Vanilla said, sounding confident.

"It's not as easy as you think.", Knight Master said, and she started walking towards a forest. During the whole time, the Knight Master kept looking at me. _Does she know who I am?_, I thought. We finally arrived at what seemed to be Trial Forest. "I wish you good luck, Vanilla."

"Thanks you so much!", Vanilla said as she ran inside the forest.

* * *

><p><em><span>Vanilla's POV<span>_

I ran inside the forest, thinking this would be easy. Then, I tripped over something peculiar. Looking at my feet a see a slime. _Just a slime, _I say to myself. I hit it with my javelin onto the side of a tree and it sort of...stuck there. I didn't stick around, though. Now that I know there are monsters involved, I wouldn't want to attract too much attention, if you know what I mean.

I was running straight, and it looks like I was getting deeper and deeper into the forest. I wondered if I'll find my way out. While running, I saw a mushmon. As soon as it saw me, it did a headbutt and I ended up falling backwards. I used sleep* on it and it worked. The mushmon was fast asleep and I swat it with my javelin somewhere else in the deep forest.

I kept on running straight, until I hit my head onto a tree. It looked like an apple tree, and then i thought about what Knight Master said to me prior to coming. Then I looked and saw the tree was alive! It stood up from its slumber and looked at me.

"Treant, may I have one your apples?", I asked nicely.

"No!", he roared.

"You're mean!", I said, like a little child. "Splash*!"

Purple little spirits came from everywhere and surrounded the point of the javelin. But, I forgot how unstable this special technique was. The spirits were pouring in from all over the place in numbers. I had to do something fast, before the technique completely backfires. So, I just threw the javelin to the Treant.

The javelin hit him just above his eyes. The purple spirits went from the javelin to the Treant and in a last ditch effort, the Treant threw one of his apples to try and attack me. I caught it, took my javelin back and ran off. "Yay! I did it! Thanks Treant!", I said as I ran back where I came from.

I actually managed to get out of there with the apple. Knight Master and Tela were waiting for me. "Here's the apple. Sorry if I took too long.", I said.

"No worries, Vanilla. You passed the test, so, you're now part of Grand Chase.", Knight Master said.

I had a really big smile on my face, and it looked as though I was about to explode, in a good way. "Oh no, Vanilla has excitement overload.", Tela said from afar.

* * *

><p><em><span>Tela's POV<span>_

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I'm part of Grand Chase! I'm part of Grand Chase! I passed the test! I passed the test! I'm happy, happy, happy!", Vanilla said while jumping around. I knew she was immature, but was this _necessary? _People looked at her like she was messed up in the head; very messed up.

"Good job.", said a hedgehog. I'd like to know, what's a hedgehog doing here? Some things in this world really _are_ messed up.

"Thank you.", Vanilla said. "Oh! My name's Vanilla and I'm fairly new here." _That's pretty obvious.._, I thought to myself.

"I see that.", she said and Vanilla giggled a little. "My name's Blade."

"And I'm Tela! The most awesome demon spirit ever!", I said, possibly ruining the conversation altogether. Ah, well~

"A demon spirit?", Blade asked_. _I nodded, but before I could say anymore...

"Dinner time~!", Amy called in a cute tone. Blade was already on her way to the dinner table.

"Yay! It's dinner!", I said.

"I thought you couldn't eat, Tela.", Vanilla said. I knew she was onto me.

"I'm excited because I get to tell a certain secret to a few people.", I said mischievously.

"In front of everyone, including him?", Vanilla asked in a tone that sounded worried. I nodded my head and she said (at the top of her voice), "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! You can't! Not now! Not never!"

"But you said I could when we get back.", I said. She stopped whining and stomped inside the kitchen to eat dinner, thinking about what she'd said. And I started to laugh, because to me, it was funny. I stopped laughing after a bit and floated into the kitchen.

* * *

><p><em><span>Vanilla's POV<span>  
><em>

I can't believe that Tela! Sometimes, she's so annoying! And why'd I tell her that she could tell everyone when we get back? Stupid me~!

I would skip dinner until later to start training, but then nothing would stop Tela from telling the secret...except Arme and Lire! I walked up to Arme and asked, "Arme, can you make sure that Tela doesn't say anything about my crush?"

"No problem! I'll make sure she doesn't say anything.", Arme said.

"Vanilla? You have a crush~?", Amy asked. "I heard you talking about that."

I scratched my head and said, "Uh...well...no, I don't." I looked at Arme and she had a content expression.

Amy giggled and said, "So, who is it?"

_'Oh great! She's still onto me!'_, I thought. "It's no one...really!"

Tela came floating to the kitchen and said, "Vanilla! What a liar you are! Tsk, tsk!"_, _then, Tela whispered something in Amy's ear.

"Vanilla~? You like Master Sieghart~?", Amy asked and I shook my head almost immediately.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don't!", I said loudly.

"Don't you mean, 'YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I do!' ", Tela said, at the same voice pitch as me.

"Maybe you do, but I don't!", I said, proudly.

"You can't deny feelings of love!", Tela said, then her expression changed from happy to really, really annoyed. "Vanilla, are you implying that I LOVE HIM! Well, I DON'T!"

"Hey, calm down.", Arme said, shaking her hands, but no one was listening. "Hey~"

* * *

><p><em><span>Lire's POV<span>_

In the dining room, the rest of Grand Chase was eating dinner that I brought. I then noticed that there was a lot of screaming coming form the kitchen. "Is Vanilla okay? There seems to be a big fight going on."

"I'll go see what happened.", Dio said, then he got up from the table and into the kitchen. When he arrived in the kitchen, everyone was silent. I heard Amy say something, then there was way more screaming then before. We heard a blast and Dio came out, burned from head to toe.

Blade giggled and said, "Are you all right?"

"That blasted Tela burned me!", Dio said, looking very annoyed.

Ley started to laugh and said, "That's what you get for getting involved!"

"So what were they fighting about?", Ryan asked.

"Amy says that Vanilla has a crush on someone.", Dio said. Everyone stopped eating and actually paid attention. "Vanilla got angry and Tela tried to use something on her, but Vanilla dodged and it hit me."

"So, who does she like?", Jin asked.

Dio shrugged. "It would be best not to tell. It would cause more fights...like that.", the demon pointed to the kitchen, where there was many blasts and explosions.

"You say that Tela used something on Vanilla?", Sieghart asked. "It seems that Tela is getting back her strength."

_30 minutes later..._

Everyone else was eating, ignoring all the blasts and explosions coming from the kitchen (how is the kitchen still alive?). Then, we saw Tela and Vanilla fighting in the hall and they ended up coming in here, creating chaos. Everyone retreated to the living room.

"Can someone please calm Vanilla down?", I asked.

"It's no use. Even if we manage to calm Vanilla down, Tela's going to provoke her...again.", Sieghart said, then started taking a nap.

I sighed, then realized that had stopped fighting. "Oh! They stopped!", Arme said.

"That was a good fight!", Tela said. "...Let's do it again sometime!"

"NO!", said everyone else in unison.

"You two destroyed the ktichen and damaged the dining room and Dio.", Elesis said. "For that, you'll have to clean up everything you damaged...excluding Dio."

Both Vanilla and Tela sighed. The two shook hands and went to the kitchen to clean up. Tela came back out and said, "Sieghart! I gained some of my powers back! You know what that means!" She summoned a lighting bolt and destroyed Sieghart's hair. Oddly enough, he was still asleep.

Tela started to laugh and went back into the kitchen to help clean up.

_2 very long hours later... (Vanilla's POV)_

For those two hours, I gave Tela the silent treatment. But it was weird how I just snapped. I usually don't do that. I went back upstairs and saw Dio hanging around the stairs with Zero. It was late, and most people would be in bed. "Hey Vanilla.", Dio said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now.", I said. "Thanks for asking." I continued walking upstairs and then Dio called out.

"Good luck.", Dio said.

"Uh...thanks?", I said. I knew what he was talking about. Tela snickered from downstairs and I walked to my room. When I got to my room, it was a mess. I told myself before that I would clean it up after and then do my training. It was too late for that now and I was tired.

Willow was on top of my lamp, trying to catch an ice fairy. Where did the fairy come from? "Willow! Stop~!" I took up Willow and the cat struggled to break free of my grasp to get the fairy. The ice fairy already flew away to another room. Willow scratched my hand and ran to the same room.

I was too tired to chase her, so I just laid in my bed. A few moments later, Tela floated inside the room and sat there, as usual. A few more moments later, Willow came inside the room, soaked with water. She looked angry. I finally went to sleep after a while...sort of.

_The next morning..._

Sieghart woke up for a brief moment, only to go back to sleep when he realized something was...different. He looked and saw a note attached to his arm. It read:

_Look in the mirror. Now. _

_Have fun!_

_-(Queen) Tela_

He quickly checked the mirror, only to find that part of his hair was destroyed and part of it was on fire. He yelled, "Damnit Tela!"

* * *

><p>Tela started to laugh a lot. She enjoyed annoying him, for her own enjoyment. She heard Vanilla giggle and go back to sleep. Then, she started to giggle as well. <em>Oh how fun it is, torturing these two. I guess that's the beauty of being a spirit. <em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN:Wow! This is such a long chapter. Here are somethings to clarify:**

**1. Sleep is Vanilla's 1st move.**

**2. Splash is Vanilla's 3rd move.**

**3. Vanilla doesn't usually get angry and start fighting with people. **

**4. Tela had powers before she died. Now she's getting them back. :3 **

**5. Tela used to be Queen before she died. More info about this later! *hint hint hint***

**6. Blade is BladeHunter's OC**


	9. The Bizarre

**A/N: Hi! I officially HATE writers' block. It's evil...**

**Here's the next chapter...some important details here...but I sort of rushed so, yeah. :P**

**Next chapter is the side story! Can't wait ^^. **

Chapter 9: The Bizarre

_Vanilla's POV_

I woke up to someone knocking on my door. I stumbled out of bed and opened the door, and it was Mari. "Yes?"

"I need a coin.", Mari said quickly.

"Uh...yeah, I have a coin.", I said. I managed to get the coin from my bag, despite stumbling and almost falling over so many times, due to lack of sleep and me not cleaning my room. "Here you go. What did you need it for anyways?"

"Hair tonic.", Mari said as she took the coin and walked off to her room. I was left there, scratching my head as to _why_ Mari would need a coin to make hair tonic. And that's when I realized Tela was missing. She was here before when I went to bed. Now I was confused about _where_ Tela went.

I shrugged and went back to sleep for a couple of moments, until Tela popped out of my other smaller bag, holding my camera. "Yo, Ice-Cream!", she called.

I jumped up out of bed and asked, "What is it?"

"I knew that name would get your attention.", Tela said. "Well, anyways, what's with the camera?"

"It's for taking pictures.", I said. I knew Tela was trying to mess around with me.

"Can I use it?", Tela asked. I sighed and gave her the signal to use it. She left to go somewhere else with it. What a bizarre day it was already. Then again, ever since Tela found out about my crush, everyday's been weird.

* * *

><p>I dressed up in a pink shirt and jeans, but only because I wasn't expecting to go on a mission today. I was downstairs, eating breakfast with Arme, Lire, and Lass, when Tela came floating down the stairs. "Ice-Cream! Look at the pictures I took!"<p>

She was showing me the pictures and said, "Do you like them?"

"Uh...they're...I don't know how to describe them.", I said, my eye twitching. Arme and Lire looked as though they wanted to see.

"Yep, these pictures are just priceless.", Tela said, then started laughing. I took the camera away from Tela and started deleting the pictures. I knew Tela was odd, but this was over-the-top. "Aww man! You deleted them!"

"What were the pictures like?", Arme asked.

"Most likely they would scar someone for life...", I said, really shaken.

"Oh...they're that bad?", Arme asked.

I nodded and ran back upstairs to put the camera in my room. When I got to my room, I noticed that the door was locked. _Did I lock the door?, _I asked myself. Zero walked by and saw how I was struggling with the door. "Zero! Please help me with the door! It's stuck!", I said, then the door swung open. "Actually, nevermind. I got it. Thanks, anyways!"

Zero nodded and said, "You have something on your forehead."

"I do?", I said, and ran to the mirror in my room. I finally got to it after countless times of falling over because of the junk in my room. I really need to clean up.

Zero was right, there was something there. It was an orange little marking that was barely visible. "You're right. B-But how do you know?"

"I sense it.", he said.

Sense it? Was it giving off some kind of energy? Whatever it was, I couldn't sense it, but Zero can. It was strange. "Really? I couldn't sense it until now. Do you think Dio would know what this is?"

He nodded again, and we both went to Dio's room. Zero knocked on the door, and a demon girl opened the door for us. "What do you want?", she asked.

_This girl sounds mean..._, I said to myself, then asked her, "I'm Vanilla and who are you?"

"I'm Ley. Now what do you want?", she asked again.

"I need Dio for a moment.", I said, really quick.

She called Dio, and he walked over to me. I said, "There's something on my forehead I need you to check out." I moved my bangs over and Dio was taking a good look at it. He looked shocked, like he recognized it. "So what is it?", I asked nervously.

"It's some kind of curse. I've seen it before, but that was a long time ago.", Dio said. "I don't know how to remove it, though."

"C-Curse? Curse!", I repeated it over and over. I was close to tears, because I was cursed. "How long will i-it b-be there?"

"The curse can only be broken by the user, or at least, that's what I've seen.", Dio replied. He sounded unsure of himself. I wonder if there are other ways of breaking it.

I cringed and said, "I'm cursed! No wonder luck is never on my side!", then, I started to cry and fuss about how it was unfair.

Dio sighed and Ley asked, "Does she always act like this?"

"Somewhat.", he said. "Anyone know how to calm her down?"

Zero shook his head, and Ley was slightly puzzled. Dio sighed again, and looked down at me. By then, I calmed down a little. I cried silently to myself, instead of the usual fussing I did while I cried.

* * *

><p><em><span>Meanwhile... (3rd Person POV)<span>_

Tela was on the table, trying out her powers, when Mari said to herself, "It's done."

"I didn't know hair tonic bubbled like that.", Tela said, pointing to the what Mari was making in her hand. It was bubbling over a little.

"I followed the book, and included a few of my own additions.", Mari said, examining the bottle.

Tela grinned and said, "If I was alive, I would use that hair tonic. When I was alive before, my hair was long and elegant. Now it's short and uneven. But I know I'll come back to life, somehow!"

"Bringing back someone or yourself to life from the dead is impossible_._ I've researched on it.", Mari said.

_That's what you say..._, Tela thought and made a cunning grin_. _"Fine then.", she shrugged and floated off upstairs. That's when I saw Zero, Dio, and another girl alongside Vanilla, who was crying.

"Okay, what happened?", Tela asked.

Vanilla started pointing to her forehead and was shouting, "I'm cursed!"

"Did you step on a crack...or did you break your mirror?", Tela asked sarcastically.

"No! LOOK!", the brown-haired girl shouted louder. Tela took a good look at it and shook her head.

"I know what it is. But, I can't fix it.", Tela said, then she noticed Ley beside Zero. "Do I know you? You look familiar."

"We've never met.", the demon girl said. Tela shrugged and left with Vanilla.

"Don't worry my fellow demons! I know how to stop Vanilla from crying.", Tela said reassuringly.

* * *

><p><em><span>A few minutes later...<span>  
><em>

"But I'm taking a nap...", Sieghart said. "Go away."

"You're so mean, telling Vanilla to go away.", Tela said. "Tsk, tsk."

"Don't worry about it Tela.", Vanilla said suddenly, surprising the both of them. "Maybe I should stop crying for such little things." Vanilla bowed to them and ran off outside.

"What's with her?"_, _Sieghart asked, looking in the direction Vanilla went.

"That's what I was thinking.", Tela said. "Well at least she bowed to me."

"Wrong. She bowed to me.", Sieghart said, proudly.

Tela snickered and said, "I guess you're right for once."

* * *

><p><em><span>Vanilla's POV<span>_

Okay, that was embarrassing! Crying in front of him and Tela! Now they both think I'm weird! I need to remain calm, though. I sat down in a bunch of flowers and stared at the Trial Forest. For a while, it was peaceful, until I saw a few people coming back from missions. Who are they?

I waved, then walked over to them, making sure that I don't step on the flowers. Out of the flower patch, I started running and stopped in front of them. "A new member?", one of them said.

I nodded happily. "I'm Vanilla! I just joined Grand Chase yesterday. And who are you guys?"

"I'm Brendan Uezeki.", said the white-haired boy.

"Nate.", the gray wolf said.

"My name's Yuu.", the brown-haired girl said. "Nice to meet you..."

"I'm Dark.", said the slime on Nate's shoulder.

I smiled and said to Dark, "Aww! You're so cuuute~", I poked it a couple of times on the head, and pinched it's cheeks. It got annoyed and hit me in my face.

"Grr...", Dark mumbled.

"Sorry!", I quickly said and laughed. "I didn't mean to make you angry..."

"Hmph!", Dark muttered and turned away.

I went inside with the rest of them. I decided that it was time for training, so once I got inside, I ran upstairs to get the mission scroll from my bedroom. When I opened my bedroom door, many things came tumbling down from my room and piled up on me. Oh great, I completely forgot that I have to clean up!

* * *

><p>Like a little kid, I just stuffed most of my things in the closet and under the bed. Everything else was put away in a box. I took my scroll before cleaning up, and I went downstairs. I hurried downstairs and sat on the couch. When I opened the scroll, Hologram Renma came up.<p>

_'Vanilla, we must first test your focus. Stare at something for 10 minutes without stopping.' _

"Uhh...okay.", I said, uneasy. I looked up and saw a sleeping gladiator in the couch across from me. I took a deep breath...and stared. It wasn't as tough as it sounded.

* * *

><p><em>3rd Person POV<em>

"Vanilla?", Yuu asked. Now, Vanilla was in a trance. She looked as though she was a statue. Vanilla didn't even blink. She was just staring. Someone else came downstairs and saw Vanilla staring. "Hello, Aira."

"Hi.", Aira said. She pointed at Vanilla and asked, "What happened to her?"

"I don't know...", Yuu said. Vanilla shook her head and saw Yuu and Aira looking at her like she was weird.

"Don't worry! I'm all right!", Vanilla said happily. "I was just doing some training for my second job.", Vanilla turned to Aira and said, "I'm Vanilla val Verdu Lille. What's your name?"

"I'm Aira Marie Valence. Nice to meet you.", she smiled and Vanilla smiled back.

"Oh!", Vanilla said, like she just remembered something. "I have to get back to my training."

* * *

><p><em>'Your next task is to try and summon a spirit.', said Hologram Renma. 'And your training is done for today.'<em>

"Okay! I'll do my best.", Vanilla said proudly. She concentrated very hard and thought of a random spirit to summon. She managed to create a very small and faint glowing light, but sooner or later, the light died out and Vanilla (and everyone else around her) started to get a headache.

"W-What happened?", Vanilla asked herself aloud.

_'Strange. This wasn't supposed to happen.', said Hologram Renma. 'I'll check out what's going on.'_

_I wonder...if this has to do with the curse on my forehead. _Vanilla thought to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I have writer's block for this story, but I wanted to update before school starts again. I managed to introduce all the OCs this time. :)**

**Also:**

**1. About the hair tonic, look back at the previous chapter. ^^**

**2. About the mark, it's a secret...**

**3. Vanilla so immature and childish that she cleans up like a child. :D  
><strong>

**4. Brendan is OneLukeTwoHonesty's OC, Nate and Dark is BladeHunter's OC, Yuu is KenSetsuna's OC, and Aira is Solica's OC.  
><strong>

**Vanilla: When will you stop torturing me?**

**Me: Whenever you stop complaining.**

**Vanilla: Fine...but I'm not happy about it.**

**Me: It's better than Tela telling Sieghart about you. **

**Enjoy?  
><strong>


	10. Side Story: Kerrie Beach

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. School got the best of me. D:**

**Tela: Yay! Side story!**

**Vanilla: Yay! No torture!**

**Me: Yay! I updated! Now let the chapter begin!**

* * *

><p><span>Side Story 1: Kerrie Beach<span>

_Vanilla's POV  
><em>

"Ice-Cream! Ice-Cream! Wake up!", Tela yelled, then pushed me off the bed. I landed in a pile of clothes, and random toys. "Wow. Someone was lazy.", Tela commented on the mess, then laughed. She stopped after a while and said sarcastically, "Eww! You're becoming just like Sieghart! Yuck!"

"No, I'm not. And it's 5 A.M. in the morning. Why did you wake me up at such a time?", I said, a bit grumpy. Whenever I didn't get my ten hours of sleep, I got a little grumpy, like a little child. "I was trying to summon a spirit, using toys. I stayed up until 4 A.M."

"Good luck on your training.", Tela said with a grin. "Anyways, I convinced Knight Master to give Grand Chase a break. Guess where we're spending the day at?"

"Where?", I tilted my head and stood up. 'Where, where, where?"

"The beach!", Tela said.

"BEACH! YAY!", I yelled, then started jumping up and down. I heard Elesis from next door say 'Shut up!' , and I whispered to myself. "Sorry.", then giggled.

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

Tela and I walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Tela was playing with the beach ball and accidentally smacked it at Ley first, then it hit Aira, then Ryan, then Ronan, then Elesis.

"Who threw that!", Ley said, looking around.

"Uuu~ That hurts~", Aira said, rubbing her head.

"What the- Who did that?", Ryan asked. The ball ended up hitting him and his plant he was looking after. The ball ended up squishing the plant before it went to Ronan.

"Miss Tela, please be more careful...", Ronan said. He saw when Tela smacked the ball.

Finally, it went to Brendan. Just before it hit him, he finished off his dango, and threw the stick at the ball. It literally exploded and confetti fell onto Brendan.

"Aww man!", Tela said, with crossed arms. "There goes my beach ball. I'll get you for this!", Tela pointed at Brendan, and floated off quickly outside.

"She really likes getting revenge.", Sieghart said, eating cookies out of the cookie jar.

"Yep.", I nodded in agreement.

"Oh~Vanilla, what did Tela mean by you like me very, very, very much?", Sieghart asked.

"N-Nothing!", I said, swaying my arms. "It's just her being sarcastic." I was definitely going to get Tela for this.

"Hmm...sound suspicious to me.", Sieghart said with a smirk.

"You don't believe me?", I asked.

"It's not that I don't believe you.", Sieghart said, eating more cookies. "It's the way you said it. It sounds suspicious. Get it, kiddo?"

_K-Kiddo? Am I some kind of kid to him! , _I thought. Then I said, frustrated, "Yep. I get it."

I walked off to the living room, where Blade was talking to Dio. I gave a little wave, and went outside. I was looking for Tela, but she was gone. She appeared, but instead of her usual floating, she was walking. And Tela had a bikini on. "So...how does it look?"

"Fine.", I said. "But how?"

"As a spirit, I can morph into any form.", Tela said. "So I morphed my clothes into a bikini. Ta-da! Don't I look sexy?"

"Uh...you're asking the wrong person.", I said, then quickly ran inside. Tela looked a bit different, but she was still as awkward as ever. I wondered how this beach would be like. I loved the beach, and I used to live on one before going with Grand Chase.

_A few more hours later..._

"Okay! We're ready to go to the beach!", Tela said. I was holding my bag and her bag.

"Then let's go!", Arme said happily. "Onward to the beach!"

"Hey! That's my line!", Elesis said.

"Now, now, let's calm down.", Lire said, breaking the little argument between Elesis and Arme.

Lire told me that the beach wasn't too far away. Then she asked me what Sieghart asked me. I told her that Tela said some things. Lire shrugged and told me good luck with Sieghart. Then, she went to go talk with Ryan.

We'd finally got to the beach. Arme and I were the first ones to shout, and run to the change room. Everyone else was probably walking slowly to the change rooms. I was the first one to get out of the change rooms in a rainbow, polka-dot bikini. Everyone came in their own swimwear.

"Race you to the water!", Elesis said to Jin. Jin accepted the challenge and they both ran into the water. A lot of others ran into the water. I was unsure whether to go into the water or not, because I had no idea if I could swim or not.

I saw Mari reading a book on the water's shore. "Oh Mari, are you trying to get a tan?"

"No...I'm reading about the beach.", Mari said, putting her head further into the book.

"Okay.", I nodded, then saw Sieghart taking a nap near Mari's location. I found myself walking over to him and tapping him on the forehead. He woke up and looked at me. "Are you getting a tan, too?"

"Nah. I'm just resting.", he said, then asked, "Aren't you going in the water, kiddo?"

This was going to sound embarrassing, but I truthfully said, "Um...actually I don't know if I can swim or not. I don't remember." I sounded like some innocent little kid. "Do you think I should try?"

"Be my guest.", he said, pointing to the water. "If you start to drown, I'll come and save you."

I giggled and said, "Thanks. Oh, and...I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep!" I took a few steps into the water and then I just ran into the water to join the others. It was funny how I didn't madly blush that whole time...until now. I saw Tela whispering something in Aira's ear. It was probably something about me and Sieghart.

"Hi Tela, and Aira.", I said nervously.

"Oh Vanilla! I was just telling Aira about your crush...", Tela said mischievously.

"Not again! Tela!", I said, doing a facepalm while blushing like crazy.

"I think that's cute.", Aira said, just before Tela and I got into a fight.

"Really? Thanks!", I said happily and stopped blushing. Then, I got splashed with water. It was one of the boys.

"Water Fight!", Tela said loudly. She made a huge wave and that's when the real water fight started out.

* * *

><p><em>3rd Person POV<em>

"That was a good fight!", Tela said, proudly. "Girls rule, boys drool!", she had started to laugh, and so did the other girls with her. The guys got annoyed and crossed their arms.

"That was a one-sided fight!", Ryan said. "You had Tela _and _Aira _and _Arme. Without them, the girls would be nothing!"

"We'll still kick your butts without them!", Elesis said, being cocky.

"Miss Elesis, please don't start a fight...", Ronan sighed.

"Who wants some ice-cream?", Amy asked in her singing voice.

"We'll have some ice-cream!", Arme and Vanilla both said loudly.

Amy skipped to the ice-cream bar, while everyone waited. Lire asked, "So, what shall we do now?"

"Why don't we make sand castles?", Arme suggested. Lire face brightened up and they almost immediately started making a sand castle.

"You guys act like babies.", Elesis huffed. "Making sandcastles...what a childish activity!", she crossed her arms.

"We all know you want to make sandcastles too, Elesis!", Arme sneered.

Elesis still crossed her arms and looked away. There was a few moments of silence, until Elesis finally gave in and started making sandcastles. She thought, _Okay, maybe I should take it easy. I mean, it's just the beach. _

* * *

><p><em><span>Tela's POV<span>_

I floated over to Sieghart, who happened to be sleeping on the beach side. I had the temptation to push him over in the water, but first, I had something to do. I poked him over and over so he would wake up. I finally kicked him, but nothing happened. Enraged, I decided to just shock him with a bit of lightning. The old man got shocked and woke up.

"I'm surprised you woke me up. I would've expected you to pull a prank.", Sieghart said, the laughed. "Ho ho ho~ The queen, Tela, has a change of heart!"

"That's not why I'm here!", I said, angry at his response, then I calmed down. "Vanilla's feeling sad, and she needs a hug."

"I don't believe you for one moment!"

"I'm not playing a prank!", I lied. I had my fingers crossed behind my back. "Vanilla would like a hug from you. So go to her and be nice, 'kay?"

Sieghart got up and stretched many times. He finally said, "Fine, I'll do it."

I secretly whispered to myself, "(Yes! I did it!)", then I decided to go and bother Zero and Aira. I shall watch Vanilla's reaction to Sieghart hugging her, and I shall laugh and enjoy it, while bugging Zero and Aira, of course. I floated over to the couple, sitting on the beach, and sat beside them. Zero didn't look very amused, and Aira looked confused.

"Hello, Aira, Zero. How's the date coming along?", I asked, with a big smile on my face.

"Uuu~ We're not on a date~", Aira said, then hid behind Zero.

I started to laugh, and said, "So are you guys boyfriend and girlfriend? I mean, that's the only reason why you're hiding behind him, right?"

Aira shook her quickly and said, "It's just my bad habit.."

"And we're not boyfriend and girlfriend.", Zero said.

"Okey-Dokey!", I said happily, and started floating off. "If you say so. But I still don't believe you!"

I wondered what the others' were up to...

* * *

><p><em><span>Jin's POV<span>_

I was sitting with the guys, when Amy brought me an ice-cream. "Thanks Amy!", I said, then started eating it.

Amy giggled and said, "Your welcome!"

I watched Amy run off to make sandcastles with Elesis, Arme, and Lire, but then Tela got a hold of her. The spirit whispered something in her ear, and they headed off in another direction. I wondered where they were going. All of a sudden, I said, "Tela and Vanilla are keeping secrets from us."

"You haven't noticed until now?", Ryan asked me sarcastically.

"Well...that's what happened when we all joined. We had something to hide, but eventually, we told everyone. Maybe they'll do the same.", Lass suggested.

Everyone, including me, thought hard about that.

"It could be the case.", Brendan and Ronan both said.

We all sighed, and relaxed on the beach, until we found out it was time to go.

* * *

><p><em>Vanilla's POV<em>

"Vanilla! It's time to go!", Blade called out.

"Awww, already?", I said, then looked at Yuu. "Um..do you have a watch?"

Yuu shook her head, and I walked away to where I put my bag. I found my bag sitting on the nearby bench, and picked it up. I changed back to my normal clothes and sat back on the same bench.

I brought some toys with me, so I could practice making a spirit. Instead of going with the others, I sat down on the bench and tried to.

Every time I tried, a little light came and blew up in my face. Was I doing something wrong? I saw Sieghart coming to me from a distance. I waved happily and waited for him to come.

* * *

><p><em><span>Sieghart's POV<span>_

I found Tela's request a bit weird. What will Vanilla say after I hug her? I looked over at Vanilla. She seemed pretty happy to me, but Tela said that she was feeling down? Tela was a bad person, but she was a pretty honest person...right?

I walked over to Vanilla, calmly. She asked, "Did you come here for something?"

"Yes, I did.", I said, then I gave her a hug; a friendly hug, to be exact.

"S-Sieghart...", she mumbled quietly. I quickly let go of her. She looked a bit faint, but she was still smiling. "Why did you do that?"

"Tela told me you were sad, and you liked hugs.", I said. "Makes sense, of course!"

We both laughed, and she packed up her toys. I thought of an idea and said, "Why don't you base your spirit off Tela? I mean, she's a spirit as well."

"Okay! I'll try!", she shouted. She made a small light with her javelin, and then she started forming a spirit that looked exactly like Tela. After that was done, she said, "Okay! I'll name you 'Annoying Spirit!'"

"Alright! Who should I kill first?", asked the annoying spirit. Both Vanilla and I were confused.

"Hmm...this one seems bloodthirsty...", I said.

"Don't kill anyone! Return to the Dreamworld!", Vanilla said, and the annoying spirit went high in the air and exploded. It created fireworks and Vanilla was catching the remains in her javelin. "Oh! Everyone left us!"

"Heeey! Wait for us!", I said, flailing my arms.

We both started running fast to catch up to them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I finally finished! I guess it wasn't that bad. :) **

**Oh by the way, I'm still taking OC requests. But they won't appear until next chapter.**

**Vanilla: What was with the hugging scene?**

**Me: It was secretly requested by everyone...which is not a secret anymore...**

**Tela: Ha ha! **

**Me: Ah well. I hope this chapter was enjoyable...I think.**

**I don't think there's anything to clear up...except that last part. Everyone left them because they took too long. :) Anyways, this'll be on hiatus for awhile. I have to post up chapters for my other stories. **


	11. The Rainbow: Introduction

**Me: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile.**

**Tela: The author was having a mental block**.** You owe Vanilla many apologies for making fun of her liking Sieg.**

**Me: Yeah I know :P **

**Tela: ...The readers probably know why. :)**

**Me: Enjoy the chapter!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 11: The Rainbow Zone: Introduction<span>

Vanilla woke up seeing Tela's face. Vanilla screamed very loudly, and woke up everyone. They both heard Elesis say, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" then they heard an annoyed groan from the unofficial leader.

"Sorry!", Vanilla yelled back to Elesis. Vanilla, as usual, got ready for another day. Willow started running around, until she saw Celcius, Aira's ice fairy, passing by. Willow pushed the door open, using it's head, and chased Celcius around in the halls. Elesis happened to walk by and tripped over Willow.

"VANILLA! KEEP YOUR CAT UNDER CONTROL!", Elesis yelled really loudly, again. Tela sweatdropped and she went to deal with Elesis.

* * *

><p>"Vanilla!", Arme called all of a sudden.<p>

"Yes~?", Vanilla replied back. "I'm coming! Give me a minute!"

Vanilla was about to come, but Arme came to Vanilla instead. Arme handed her a really large book. It looked awfully familiar. Arme said, "You lended it to me when we first met, and I was done reading the book, so I thought I might give it back."

"I gave that to you? I don't even remember what that book is...", Vanilla said, scratching her head.

"Vanilla? is something wrong?", Arme tiled her head and was ready to use healing magic. Vanilla shook her head.

"I guess I'm just suffering from memory loss.", Vanilla laughed, and she went downstairs. Arme shrugged and went back to her room. She saw Elesis, injured, and she asked:

"What happened to you?"

"Don't ask...", Elesis said, sounding exhausted. Arme smiled and sweatdropped, then she left the book in Vanilla's room. While that happened, she stumbled upon a mirror. It was labeled 'Tela's Mirror - Don't Touch', but Arme was very curious.

"Admiring yourself in the mirror, Arme?", someone asked. It was Lass. For a second, she thought it was that dreaded demon spirit.

"Oh, Lass!", Arme said happily. "I was just curious..."

"You should put it away.", Lass suggested.

"But...", Arme started to say, and then her brain reminded her about how angry Tela gets. "...Okay.", she put it away, and they both went downstairs. "Shall I bake cherry pie for you?"

"Yes, please!", Lass said, almost sounding happy.

* * *

><p><em><span>? POV<span>_

I was in the kitchen, eating my breakfast, and talking to Sieghart and Dio. That's when I saw Tela. I guess she was okay, but most of the time, she was very annoying. "Hi Kaisternnnnn~"

"Hello, Tela.", I said. Like I said before, she was annoying. She started chatting away nonsense, and I blocked it out. Though, I couldn't block it out for so long.

"Kai-stern, Kai-stern, Kai-stern. No wonder you have stern in your name. You're so stern all the time! Loosen up!", Tela said, sounding excited. I ignored her as usual, but Sieghart raised an eyebrow at me. The immortal's eyes shifted to Tela, who seemed more serious than before. "We need to talk. Come with me."

"Hmm?", I grunted, and got up. I had no idea what's wrong, but judging by her tone of voice, she wasn't joking around. We both were walking outside, and I passed by a worried Arme. Lass looked as though he noticed it as well. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing pertaining to Grand Chase itself.", Tela said bitterly. "Just a matter between you and me. None shall known."

* * *

><p><em>TPOV<em>

After a few moments, Kaistern and Tela came back in, just in time for Knight Master's speech. Everyone was gathered around the living room for a while. Knight Master cleared her throat and said, "Now then, shall we start?"

Knight Master continued. "I have discovered a set of islands around Cerulean Island. Apparently, Cerulean Island was in a mystical island zone called 'The Rainbow'."

"I get it!", Ryan blurted out. "Cerulean is a shade of blue. So the island is in the middle of Green and Blue Island?"

"Correct.", Knight Master said. "There's Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and Pink Islands. Those are the main islands. I want two teams of four to investigate Green and Blue islands. One team will investigate one island and vice-versa."

Knight Master picked Kaistern, Yuu, Ronan, and Ley to go to Green Island, while Vanilla, Ryan, Brendan, and Elesis go to Blue Island. Knight Master instructed the rest to stay back at the mansion. She also instructed the two groups to leave right away.

* * *

><p><em>Later...<em>

The two groups waved goodbye to the others, and the two groups departed together.

"So how are going to get to the island?", Ley asked. "I am not swimming!"

"Why don't you summon your dragon, Ronan?", Yuu suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea.", Ronan replied back to Yuu. He quickly took out his glaive and summoned a dragon. Everyone jumped on and it started to fly. Though, it was flying at such a slow pace, it made Ley annoyed.

"Can't this thing fly any faster!", Ley said angrily and started punching it in the back.

"Patience, Miss Ley.", Ronan said. "We don't have to rush."

Ley sat back and puffed her face. "Whatever.", she simply said.

Ronan sighed to himself, and then raised his head. He looked around at everyone and he noticed that many of the people in the two groups were mostly quieter people. It looks as though Knight Master wanted the place to be scanned without the groups being caught. _But why is that? Does Knight Master know something we don't?_

And Tela; she seemed pretty quiet, which was very unnatural for her. She was also quiet during the stay at Cerulean Island. Ronan though she had some connection to the 'The Rainbow'. _But what kind of connection?_

Then Ronan saw Ley hitting the top of the dragon's head in anger.

"AHHH!", Ronan yelled. "Err..M-Miss Ley! Please calm down! Patience is the answer!"

"Patience!", Ley shouted. "Patience is killing me!"

Ley hit the dragon even more, and the dragon started wobbling in the sky. The smooth ride became bumpy.

"Gahhhh!"

"Hmm...?"

"What's happening?"

Everyone was confused, and somewhat scared. Ronan just did a facepalm.

* * *

><p><em>Later...<em>

"Finally! Sweet land~", Brendan said and stretched his arms out.

The first group, which is Brendan, Ryan, Vanilla, and Elesis, were dropped off at Blue Island. Ronan and his group waved goodbye to them. They rode off to Green Island.

"Okay let's explore quickly so we can get off this god forsaken place.", Tela muttered quickly under her breath.

Vanilla raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is there some-"

"What is wrong with you!", Elesis yelled. Everyone turned to her. "You're so annoying! You complain and yell about everything! Why don't you just shut up!"

"Is she crazy?", Ryan whispered to Brendan.

"I guess so!", Brendan whispered back. "Must of lost her sanity during our trip."

Tela floated above Elesis's head. She had a huge grin on her face, but her eyes said otherwise. Elesis looked as though she was ready to fight. The others just watched on. Finally, Tela said, "You sure are brave. Going against me. But do you really know who I am?"

"What are you talking about!", Elesis asked.

"I'm a former queen, of a powerful clan, with many powerful descendants.", Tela continued. Elesis started to grow more wary. "If I wanted to, I would put you in your place. Which is in a black hole.", Elesis was shocked to hear this, but still stood her ground. "I'm already in a bad mood; please don't make me do anything."

Everyone seemed pretty quiet after that. "Ah, well, shall we go?", Ryan asked.

The group went into the forest. The forest had many trees and bushes full of fruit. But, there was no animals anywhere. There wasn't any humans, demons, or Aaerions in sight either. The forest emanated an eerie feeling, which made everyone cautious, except for Tela.

"Err..I'm so hungry...", Elesis said as her stomach growled. She looked around and saw some berries. "Hmm...berries will do."

While the others stopped and looked somewhere else, Elesis sneaked to the berry bush. She was about to pick some, when somebody grabbed onto the back of her shirt; it was Ryan.

"What are you doing!", Ryan asked. "Those are poisonous!"

"Yeah, Elesis.", Vanilla added. "You could really hurt yourself."

"Ah, well...", Elesis stuttered a little. "I knew that!", She finished off proudly.

Brendan shook his head and smirked. "Some people never learn~"

"Shut up!", Elesis half-yelled. She regain her composure, and quickly walked away. Then she stopped, like she realized something. "Where's Tela?", Elesis sighed and said, "What's wrong with that demon!"

"Maybe something's bothering her!", Brendan suggested happily. Everyone sweatdropped.

"That's very obvious.", Ryan commented. "And why are you so happy all of a sudden?"

"I don't know...", Brendan replied. He looked down on the ground, and he randomly jumped up and said, "Maybe it's because I'm in a good mood! HAHAHAHA!" Brendan started running in circles, and then ran off west.

"E-Everyone's acting so strange...", Vanilla commented. "I feel strange! I wanna go home!"

"Hmm...Tela's more grumpier, Elesis's more stupid than usual, Brendan's acting normal, and you're acting all shy, Vanilla.", Ryan said, then realized something. "Why do I feel more smarter?"

"GAHHH!", Vanilla screamed. "The island's playing with our personality and emotions!"

She then ran out of the forest somewhere, leaving Ryan and Elesis alone. There was silence, until Elesis asked, "Did you call me stupid before?"

"Yeah?", Ryan said.

"Ohhh...", Elesis muttered. There was many moments of silence, until Elesis randomly shouted, "**HEEEEEY!**"

* * *

><p><em>On Green Island...<em>

"Okay. Let's start investigating.", Ronan suggested. ", don't go off on your own."

Without warning, Kaistern walked slowly into the forest. He heard Ronan's warning, but had no intention of stopping. It was like he was possessed. The rest of the group ran inside to look for him, but they couldn't find him and there was no trail left behind.

"Darn it! We lost someone already.", Ley said angrily. "This place is already annoying me. Jeeves!"

The demon butler appeared suddenly out of a vortex and bowed. "You call?"

"Go find Kaistern!", Ley commanded. He nodded and disappeared into the vortex.

_Miss Ley seems as cruel as ever, but it looks as though she developed a soft spot. _Ronan thought to himself.

They continued exploring the forest. The forest felt never-ending. The group kept seeing the same luscious green trees, the same dirt under their feet, and the same little house on a far away hill that was covered in mist. It was enough to make Ley fed up.

"How come we keep avoiding the house!", Ley asked and pointed to the house. "I am tired of running around in circles! My feet hurt!"

"There's no shame in investigating the house.", Yuu stated. "Even if there's a trap waiting for us."

"Fine, fine.", Ronan quickly said. "Let's go investigate the house, and then we'll look for Kaistern."

The group starting walking up the hill. It also seemed never-ending. The hill looked as though it extended higher every step they took. Finally, they got to the top. "I'm exhausted!", Ley said.

"Aren't we all?", Yuu giggled.

Ronan decided to knock on the door first to see if anyone was there. There was no answer, so he broke down the door, only to find someone in a little corner of the house. The group was shocked to see...

* * *

><p><strong>Tela: What the hell! Why'd you cut it off?<strong>

**Me: 'Cause I'm saving the best parts for chapters 12 & 13 **

**Tela: It better be good!**

**Me: Stop being so grumpy!  
><strong>

**Tela: Hmph!**

**Me: Anyways, I tried combining humor and seriousness into this chapter. So, sorry if it didn't turn out well. . I blame my head. **


	12. The Rainbow: Reconnection

**Merry Christmas!**

**Tela: Christmas passed. **

**Me: =_=**

**Vanilla: We have a new OC!**

**Tela: Yup, yup.**

**Me: Sorry I didn't post a Christmas special! D: Too busy...**

**Vanilla: Exams are in month for the author.**

**Me: AND I GOTTA STUDYYYYYYY! D: **

**Tela: *sigh* Let's just start the chapter..**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter<span> 12: The Rainbow: Reconnection 

It was now almost evening and Ryan, along with Elesis were looking for the rest of their group. It was as if the group went really far into the forests. Soon after, they both decided to give up and set up camp. After a while, Brendan came back. He was holding his neck and looked less insane.

"Argh! My neck hurts...", Brendan said, clutching his neck. He summoned a staff and healed himself. "I'm okay now! I had a nasty fall. Anyways, how did we all get lost?"

"You don't remember?", Elesis asked. She scratched her head. "You went crazy and ran into the forest."

"It's probably the new environment that's bothering him.", Ryan suggested.

"Maybe.", Elesis replied. She turned her head somewhere else. "But we can't be sure."

"Oh!", Ryan said suddenly, and everyone turned to him. "Where is Vanilla?"

"I'm here!", Vanilla said. She was huffing and puffing for some reason. Not to mention that she looked worn out. "Sorry I ran all of a sudden. I was just a bit scared. Something in my mind...can't explain that feeling I had..."

"It's OK. As long as you're okay.", Brendan said.

"Oh! You're back to normal?", Vanilla asked. She clapped her hands. "I was worried about you!"

Elesis wrapped her self in a blanket she brought with her. She lied down inside the tent and said, "Let's get some shut eye. In the morning, we can search for Tela."

"All right.", the other three said. Vanilla went into Elesis's tent, and Ryan and Brendan went into their own tent.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile..<em>.<em>

_'It's not fair...it's not fair...'_

_'Curse this island for all eternity...curse the Aaerions_ for_ causing trouble...and especially curse the man who slayed me.'_

_'But I wonder if I caused this all on myself...'_

_'I swear on my spirit that I'll come back alive and rule once again...'_

Tela wasn't floating as usual; she was walking. After about 200 long years of floating constantly, Tela decided to walk. She stumbled many times and fell down. She didn't feel like floating; she didn't feel like doing anything but thinking and walking.

Visiting the islands in 'The Rainbow' was something Tela didn't want to do. After all, she spent most of her life bound to those islands. Alive and dead. She hated those islands, she hated the Aaerions for bullying her, she somewhat hated herself for allowing the man to join her, and finally, she hated the man who killed her...(or did she?)

Tela came across her grave; the grave she was bound to after she died. One day, something happened and she was bound to Vanilla instead. The spirit sat down in front of her grave. Most of her family's gravestones were also there too. Some of them were also killed when she was, and some died of a disease that runs in the family.

A single teardrop came from her eyes.

There was an odd whistle in the bushes, like there was somebody running.

"Hey!" Tela shouted. "Who's there?"

It was only a demon fox, and Tela sighed. She pulled on her chain and yelled, "Warp! To my group!"

* * *

><p>Tela really didn't like using Warp. It was annoying and uncontrollable. This time was an exception because she was lazy to go back to camp. Warp didn't actually send her to camp, though. It teleported her just above the water, and she fell into the ocean.<p>

"Blek!", Tela said, sticking out her tongue. "Rainbow water! Tastes horrible!"

She quickly got out and floated back to camp.

* * *

><p><span>Meanwhile...<span>

Kaistern was walking as well. He felt like he was being possessed, but he knew what was happening around him, and he had control over a few things. Kaistern just didn't have control over his legs and arms. He suddenly stopped in the heart of the forest. There was strong energy emitting from the ground.

A huge crystal was uprooted from the ground. It was a shade of green mixed with other shades of green. There were also words on it. The problem was that Kaistern couldn't read what the language was. It said:

**'Love au nene isole no War. War aree manojima World. World li miw Demon e saye opi. Weep, tu World lu aur fyie Melodies.'** **-Old Elder I, appox. 1000 years ago**

Kaistern knew words like Love, War, World, Demon, and Melodies. They were words he thinks about a lot. Love reminded him of Freya, War reminded him of the Gods, World reminded him of his lives, Demon reminded him about himself, and Melodies...

What did Melodies reminded him of? Kaistern barely used that word, and never really thought about it. He closed his eyes. _Melodies...Melodies...what does that word mean again?_

Before he knew it, he was back where he started. At the shore of the ocean. But, no one was in sight. Kaistern decided to walk around again.

* * *

><p><span>Meanwhile...(At the Mysterious House)<span>

"Hello.", a little fox said. It came from the shadows of the house. The fox had light brown fur and had a tail with a purple tip. It also had a scarf with it. "What is your name?"

"I'm Ronan.", the spell knight said, pointing to himself. "And this is Yuu and Ley.", he then pointed to the other two beside him. "What's your name?"

"Well if you must know, you can call me Verdan.", the fox said. "May you help me out of here? The Aaerions locked me in here with a special barrier. I must return to the Sorcerer."

"The Sorcerer?", Yuu questioned.

"The Sorcerer is a nice, young lady I am supposed to be bound to, but we separated because I was trying to prevent the Aaerions from starting a war.", Verdan said.

"The Aaerions are starting a war!", Ley yelled. "I knew Vanilla couldn't be trusted!"

"Vanilla...?", Verdan said aloud. "I remember her and her family. I was pretty close with them. What is she up to these days?"

"She has joined the Grand Chase to recover her memory.", Ronan said. "Now then, who knows how to take down barriers?"

"Jeeves!", Ley called. The butler appeared before her and bowed. "Take down that barrier!"

Jeeves punched the invisible barrier, and pieces of glass flew into the air. The fox kid walked out of the house.

"Thank you.", Verdan said. "Now then, why are you here?"

"We were investigating the island at first, but then our teammate left us, and now we're trying to find him.", Ronan explained.

"I see.", Verdan said. There was a bit of silence before he said. "It is just about time that someone steps in. The Aaerions have caused enough trouble. I would stop them, but without the Sorcerer, my powers are nothing compared to the Aaerions."

"Hmm...", Yuu muttered. Everyone turned to her with a confused face. She then suggested, "Why don't we take him back to Knight Master? He could explain the situation to her."

"Knight Master...is that someone who could help?", Verdan asked.

"Yes.", Ronan said. "She could help you."

"Right...then I shall come with you.", Verdan said.

He started leading the way, back into the forest. They didn't get very far until they were captured. It all started when Ley slipped on something, and triggered a trap that caught all of them. An Aaerion appeared with a crude face. He looked like the operator of a battle squad.

"So..you've escaped, huh?", he said. The Aaerion stepped on Verdan's tail and asked, "Are these your friends?"

"N-No...", Verdan said.

The man kicked the fox kid away, and turned towards the other three Grand Chase members. Just as he opened his mouth, Ley directed an attack at his face. It broke the trap, and the others escaped along with Verdan. They ran deeper into the forest, and they saw more Aaerions.

Everywhere they turned, Aaerions came at them. Finally, the Aaerions managed to corner them. Ronan decided to summon his dragon. They quickly got onto the dragon and left, leaving the Aaerions in a fury.

Yuu asked, "What about Kaistern?"

"We'll come back for him later. Right now, let's go to the others.", Ley replied.

Yuu and Ronan both nodded, and headed for the island.

* * *

><p><span>At Blue Island...<span>

Vanilla made a diamond with her hands and aimed it at the sky. She started to levitate, but then she fell back down with a thump. She shook her head and tried again. Ryan came out to see her again, and said, "How many times are going to try this? It's like the 10th time, Vanilla!"

"Well, if I don't master this, I won't be able to get stronger!", Vanilla shouted angrily. "Then I'll be useless in battle!", she huffed and puffed. She closed her eyes for a moment and said, "...Sorry..."

"I guess that was sort of my fault...", Ryan said. "Don't worry about it."

He waved and went into the forest. Vanilla watched him until he was inside, then focused on her training again. She aimed for the sky again, this time, whispering the words, _'I want to get stronger...'_

This time, she got much higher than expected. High enough that she was above the tallest trees. High enough that she felt as though she could touch the clouds. High enough that she started crying. The others heard her cry, and she yelled, "I can't get down!"

"Don't worry! We'll help you!", Elesis shouted back. She turned to Ryan and Brendan and asked, "So...anyone has a plan?"

"You mean to say that you don't have a plan!", Ryan yelled.

"I'll help her...", Tela said, and she floated into the sky. She touched Vanilla, and Vanilla started falling. Brendan switched his weapon to a pillow, and she fell onto it. "Nothing to it! Teheheheee~"

Tela then turned to Vanilla, and said, "Good job. You just did a levitation!"

"What's the next thing?", Vanilla asked, jumping up and down.

"What's the next thing on Renma's list?", Tela asked. "Err- I mean Miss. Grouchy's list."

Vanilla looked a bit confused. "Tela...why do you hate the Aaerions so much?"

Tela quickly turned to her with anger. "It's nothing!"

"Do you hate me?", Vanilla asked quietly, lowering her head.

Tela sighed, and turned to her again, "No...you're different from most of the others."

Vanilla gave a little smile, and Tela smiled widely. They both laughed, and got up to explore Blue Island. Ryan, Elesis, and Brendan also went along. It was peaceful once again.

* * *

><p><span>At the Mansion...<span>

All was peaceful at the mansion. Lire and Arme were practicing, Aira was with Zero, walking around in the garden. Dio locked himself in the room because there was an odd presence. Mari was making something, as usual. Sieghart was sleeping on the couch. Lass was eating cherry pies and cookies angrily. Rufus, the newest member, just talked to Knight Master and is now eating cherry pie with Lass.

Sophie skipped happily to the Mansion's front door. She knocked on the door, and waited.

Meanwhile, Zero and Aira hid behind the wall in the garden, watching Sophie. "Do you feel it too, Zero?"

Zero nodded and said, "We should watch her for now."

"O-Okay...", Aira nodded. She saw Celcius coming from her bedroom window to her. She seemed very frantic.

"Mistress! Mistress! There's many people in the forest! We should get inside!", Celcius said loudly.

"Hmm? Who's there?", Sophie said. "I don't like eavesdroppers...!"

Sophie drew her sword slowly and looked around.

Aira covered her pet's mouth, while Zero looked around. "Why does have her sword with her?"

"Aha!", Sophie said and she leaped into the garden, and charged at Zero. She the pressed a button on the side of her skirt. Suddenly, many Aaerions ran towards the front door. Zero got out Grandark, and went into his defensive stance until Aira told Celcius to evacuate everyone.

Aira quickly used Water Geyser. She drew a line, and protected herself and the whole front side of the mansion for awhile.

"I guess we fight then, right, right~?", Sophie said to Zero.

"Yeah...", Zero looked at her with a slightly annoyed face.

"The blue-haired demon...is she your girlfriend~?", Sophie asked. "Don't worry! As long as she keeps up the barrier, she won't be crushed~"

Zero went into his attacking stance, and they both ran at each other.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: CHAPTER! Y U SO SHORT!<strong>

**Tela: Calm down...it's not that bad actually. It was just that there's alot of dialog...**

**Me: Well, anyways... I'm still taking requests from OCs. And you guys can use Vanilla and Tela ONLY. Since there's not much info on Renma, Sophie, or Verdan, you can't really use them. **

**Vanilla: This chapter is so serious!**

**Tela: Next chapter will be a bit happier. At least, that's what the author said. **

**Me: Yeah...maybe...Oh! I might make a sequel for the story.**

**Vanilla: Really? Will I be in it?**

**Me: Yup! But I'll release it after this story finishes. Might take about 20 more chapters? or 25?**

**Vanilla and Tela: O.O**

**Me: I don't know...trying not to make it long. Oh well. :P  
><strong>


	13. The Rainbow: The End For Now

**Me: Happy new year everyone! **

**Tela: New year passed.**

**Me: Shhh...No one knows.**

**Tela: Uh...author is being strange again.**

**Me: I found themes for Vanilla, Tela, and the Aaerions! Vanilla's theme is called 'Daydream Syndrome' (Yumekui Merry OP), Tela's theme is called 'Friends' (Dance in the Vampire Bund OP), and the Aaerions' theme is called 'VII' (Akiko Shikata, it's not used in a anime)**

**Vanilla: Wow...*listens to the songs*, my theme sounds like Tela's, Tela's theme sounds like the Aaerions' theme, and their theme sounds like something for me. **

**Me: Look at the lyrics. Plus, part of the Aaerions' theme is also yours since you're an Aaerion.**

**Vanilla: Ohhh...**

**Tela: Hello~? Can we get this chapter started?**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter<span> 13: The Rainbow: The End...For Now

On Blue Island...

They walked along the trail path, looking as to where it leads. Tela raised an eyebrow and started floating a bit faster. Elesis looked a bit annoyed at her, and asked, "And where are you going?"

"Where do you think I'm going~? To scout ahead!", Tela asked instead of answering the question. "Dummy~~~!"

"SHUT UP!", Elesis said, charging at her. Tela simply floated higher into the sky.

"C'mon you guys, don't start it now...", Ryan said. Elesis and Tela didn't seem to listen; mostly because Tela stuck out her tongue, and Elesis got angry and threw her sword at her. Vanilla and Brendan looked over at Ryan. This time, Ryan yelled, "STOP FIGHTING!"

"Alright!", Tela said. She joined the group again.

"I hate that demon!", Elesis raged. She stomped back to the group.

"So, Vanilla~~? Do you miss a certain someone?", Tela asked, adding a slight giggle.

Vanilla though the teasing and worrying was all over. Of course, Tela was just waiting until Vanilla didn't suspect her anymore. "Uh..no."

"Lie is very obvious. And I thought you improved on your lying. Tsk, tsk, Vanilla!", Tela said. Now all the attention was turned towards Vanilla. "Shall I tell everyone who you like~?"

"You like someone?", Brendan asked.

"Well, yes, I do.", Vanilla said, and shifted uncomfortably. "I feel so embarrassed~"

"Yep. She likes Sieghart~", Tela said. "Very, very, very, very much!"

Everyone turned to Vanilla once again. She was now blushing a little. Okay, more than a little; her whole face was red. "But I know he's with Mari, so I'll just...let him go?"

Vanilla started walking away along the trail. Everyone was pretty shocked; even Tela was a bit surprised. She expected her to yell at her or something. Brendan and Ryan turned to Tela, and she shrugged. Vanilla turned back and said, "Aren't you guys coming?"

"Y-Yes!", Elesis said, and ran to her, along with the others. To hear that someone actually liked her grandfather affected her more than the others. She had mixed feelings about this. _'I wonder what Mari would do if she found out...or what about the old man? What will he do?'_

"Elesis? You look sort of pale...have you been thinking again?", Brendan asked. Elesis looked up at him in a very angry matter, and then chased after him. He ran off very quickly. "You're so slow!"

Vanilla laughed at their stupidity, and Tela patted her on the head. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Sort of.", Vanilla shrugged. The only that was bugging her was the pain in her chest; it came back even worse than before. Vanilla also sensed a new feeling inside her. _'Could it be...no, no it couldn't...'_

When they got to the end of the trail, Ronan's group was waiting. Elesis and Brendan were already on the dragon. Verdan saw Vanilla, and got off the dragon for a moment. He ran to Vanilla, and hugged her, but forgot that Vanilla has amnesia. "Vanilla! I am so glad that I could find you!"

"I'm sorry to ruin your mood, but who are you?", Vanilla asked.

"W-What?", Verdan said. He stepped backwards. "You do not remember me?"

"Vanilla lost most of her memory, so she doesn't know who you are.", Tela said.

"Perhaps.", Verdan said sadly. He turned to Tela and asked, "Do I know you?"

"If you were in the Aaerion-Demon Wars.", Tela said.

"I was.", Verdan said. "Then perhaps we did long ago. Were you a soldier fighting the war?"

Tela snickered and started to explain, "Well..."

* * *

><p><span>Back At the Mansion...<span>

"Take this! Flying Blossom!", Sophie landed a kick on Zero, which hit him and turned into blossoms. Zero was pushed back a little. While he fought Sophie, everyone else was helping out Aira. Zero was looking out for Aira, just in case she got hurt, and battling Sophie.

Sophie switched to a long taser that looked more like a pointer. She charged at him, and Zero quickly got into his defensive stance. He blocked her attack, but she ended up on top of Zero, about to land a kick. Sophie proved to be much quicker than Zero; maybe even a bit faster than the average Aaerion.

"Gran X!", Zero shouted, and he jumped up to Sophie and slashed her. Just before Sophie hit the ground, Zero slashed her again. Sophie stayed lying on the ground, as if she were dead. Zero took a step toward her and the redhead jumped up.

She sprinted off to where Aira was. It looked as though most of the Aaerions were defeated. Sophie got annoyed and called the Aaerions to fall back. "I will get you next time! Next time, when you least expect it! And we, the Aaerions, shall triumph on the demons!"

* * *

><p>"That was close...", Blade said, very tired. She was coming back from town, when she saw the Aaerion attack. Of course, she had to help.<p>

"But why did they fall back all of a sudden?", Jin asked.

"To plan a surprise attack.", Mari said.

"They did made the whole 'surprise attack' thing pretty obvious though, didn't they?", Sieghart sneered.

"Wait!", Amy shouted. "Isn't Vanilla an Aaerion? What if..."

"I don't think she would just betray us like that...", Jin asked.

"Who knows for certain?", Mari said. "Lie to us...and then make the Aaerions attack us."

"And she has Tela, who also is a great tactician.", Sieghart said. "Alright! When she gets back, we'll keep an eye on her!"

Everyone nodded, and went back inside for a rest.

* * *

><p><span>At Blue Island...<span>

"We should get out of here...before the Aaerions come after us again.", Yuu suggested. Everyone nodded, except Vanilla, who was very confused.

"What do you mean! The Aaerions went after you guys!", Vanilla asked frantically.

"Yup, because we released that demon fox.", Ley said. "Let's get back to HQ!"

"Wait, what about Kaistern?", Brendan asked.

"Uh...we left him on the island...", Yuu said.

"WHAT!", the other group said.

"Geez guys~", Tela said. "You can't just leave Kaistern like that~! One minute, he's there sitting down, and the next minute, he's gone, and the minute after that, he gets killed by something. Unless you want Kaistern to die, and be revived _again_~"

"Calm down! Jeeves is looking for him!", Ley yelled. "He probably drag him back, or something."

"IF he finds him.", Tela smirked.

Everyone got onto the dragon. Of course, the dragon started flying slowly and Ley got angry..again. This time, she shook the dragon's horns, and many people almost fell. Tela laughed at everyone about to fall because she could float around.

Eventually, they got to the mansion. As soon as the dragon landed, everyone rushed off the dragon. They were all happy to be on land again. "Sweet land~", Brendan said, kissing the ground.

* * *

><p>"Willow!", Vanilla said as she saw her beloved cat running towards her. Willow jumped into her owner's arms. "I miss you~"<p>

"Isn't there someone else you missed~?", Tela playfully said. Vanilla shook her head, then she went inside. Tela frowned and raised an eyebrow. _'Seems as though you were really serious about giving Sieghart up, Vanilla. You can't hear this, but I don't like quitters. You're throwing in the towel a bit too early...'_

Tela floated inside quickly, and sat down with everyone else. Ley and Yuu brought Verdan with them to Knight Master to explain their situation. When Verdan said it was about the Aaerions, Knight Master carefully listened to his side of the story.

"The Aaerions, if you've read about it, were ridiculed by the demons because they looked too human. So they waged war against demons, and showed off their strength. The Aaerions power wasn't enough to stop the demon 'extremists', and most of the Aaerions were wiped out. Their former leader decided to sign a peace treaty with the demons..."

"And that's when one the high ranking demons assassinated him.", Knight Master added.

"Yes.", Verdan replied. He continued on with the story. "Aaerions despised demons even more and the war was much worse. Eventually, the demons defeated most of them and declared the battle as over. The Aaerion population was scarce at the time, but now..."

"There's much more Aaerions?", Ronan asked.

"Yes.", Verdan said. "When they died down for a while, they were really getting ready for another surprise attack, but the Kounat war was very close to the Aaerion islands, so it destroyed most of their weaponry. The Aaerions seem nice, but I notice that they also have this evil driving force inside them. That's what started the war in the first place."

"Knight Master, we may have to look after Vanilla. She's an Aaerion, as well.", Ronan said.

"Who knows? Maybe she'll soon have a driving force as well.", Ley said.

"That's what we're all afraid of.", Yuu said, speaking out for everyone.

"I've already asked Sieghart to look after her.", Knight Master announced. Then she looked down on the young fox demon and said, "You can be a temporary member of the Grand Chase until this is settled."

"Thank you.", Verdan bowed to Knight Master, then went with Ronan, Ley and Yuu.

* * *

><p><span>Vanilla's POV (AN: Haven't done this in a long time!)

I was hunched up in my bed, with the sheets wrapped around me. It wasn't that I was sad, it was that I felt nothing. No emotion, no feeling, except the pain in my chest. That's when I felt pain in my forehead, right where the mark was. Damn, this was excruciating!

I closed my eyes really tight, and I imagined something really odd. It was me when I was younger, following a guy that looked much like Sieghart, but he wasn't.

_'What would you like to do next, Vanilla?', the teen asked._

_'I wanna pick flowers!', younger Vanilla said, and ran into the flower garden. She picked a bunch of daisies, tulips, and others she could find. That's when she found a beautiful flower, with purple and yellow. It as like a daisy and a chrysanthemum combined. Younger Vanilla took it up and gave it to the teen. 'This is for you, Naru!'_

_'It's beautiful, Vanilla.__', Naru said. _

_'That's how much you mean to me!', younger Vanilla said. They both smiled and held hands happily._

The dream faded, and a new dream, stoned in green, came along.

_'Vanilla, meet my new girlfriend, Sophie.', Naru said. Vanilla looked up at her, and smiled. For some reason, she didn't smile back, like she didn't like her very much. __Naru took Sophie along with him, leaving Vanilla_ all alone. _The young girl felt something weird in her chest, and in her forehead. And that's when she ran at Sophie and blasted her with some light. She managed to reflect it with no problem, and it was heading straight to Vanilla._

I quickly woke up from the dream, and breathed heavily. Sweat was coming from the side of my forehead. It seemed so...real. The whole thing felt like a...flashback. I wonder if my memory was coming back a bit. I looked around and saw Elesis standing at the doorway. "Uh...come in."

"Thanks.", Elesis said. She closed the door behind her, and stood in the middle of my room. "Vanilla...I just want to let you know that I think you shouldn't give up on Sieghart just yet. I know that old man better than you do...I think. I think he thinks of you as..."

"As a little sister or something, I know.", I looked down angrily. "...It's happened before, okay? I don't need your consult! AND I DON'T NEED HIM!"

* * *

><p><span>Elesis's POV<span>

After she said that, I saw her eyes flash red, and her hair turned a different color. Her marking on her forehead flashed greenish-yellowish. It looked as though her nails grew much like a cat's. I couldn't believe my eyes! It was very strange; was this the power of Aaerions?

Of course, Vanilla couldn't stay angry that long, and she broke down crying. I didn't have a way of cheering people up, so I decided to leave. I felt a bit sad, too. I didn't expect Vanilla to just shout at me like that. "Um...I'll leave you alone for a while..."

I opened the door and walked out of the room. I went downstairs to everyone, who was sitting at the table. I shook my head, and everyone gave me saddened expression. "Next time, make sure Vanilla doesn't get angry. And I mean really angry. She starts changing hair color, and her eyes go red. And that mark seems to flash yellow-green. Not to mention, I think it actually spread a little bit."

"I wonder if she's going through 'phrases'~?", Tela joked, and she giggled a little.

"Tela, this is no laughing manner.", Sieghart said.

"Hmm, strange because you're the one she's mad at...", Tela blurted out. "If you're so serious about this whole thing, why don't you try cheering her up?"

"Fine then! If she's mad at me, I'll go ask her why.", Sieghart said, and he went upstairs.

* * *

><p><span>Back at Cerulean Island...<span>

_'Tch! I'll get my revenge...Somehow.", _Sophie wondered. She thought of a way to get her revenge. If she started a war now, the Grand Chase would come in and stop her. _'Damn them!'_

"Sophie, your mark is flashing dark red.", one of her servants said.

"I know that! SHUT UP!", Sophie said really angrily. Her hair turned from pink to red, and her mark flashed dark red. Her eyes also turned red. Sophie then took out her survival knife, and aimed quickly for his head. It stabbed him and he instantly died.

After Sophie calmed down, she hummed a little tune to help her think. She looked out the window, and thought of Vanilla. _'I wonder what Vanilla is sinned with...'_

* * *

><p><strong>Me: That feels good to get out of my system...<strong>

**Tela: Man, I suck in this chapter! I'm supposed to be super cool!**

**Vanilla: I think I have mood swings...**

**Me: It's not you, it's something else...I actually got the idea from Umineko for the Aaerions. **

**Tela: It's a surprise, isn't it? **

**Me: Yeaaah. Just wait and see. Oh yeah! Thanks to everyone who read, favorited, and reviewed my story! It means alot to me!  
><strong>


	14. Power at the Cost of Suffering

**Me: 9 reviews for last chapter? ****Up to 10 favs for this story? I love you guys! :D  
><strong>

**Tela: Aren't you planning to make a sequel? **

**Me: Yeah, an indirect sequel though. Probably starting soon. **

**Vanilla: So are we in it?**

**Me: Yup. It's basically a story talking about significant points in your pasts. It contains some Grand Chase characters. **

**Vanilla: Well, let's get on with this chapter! :)**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 14: Power at the Cost of Suffering<span>

Sieghart was almost to Vanilla's room when the brown-haired Aaerion got out of the room. She quickly past Sieghart and went downstairs. The immortal turned around and watched her go downstairs. Vanilla noticed this and said, "I'll meet you outside."

"Ah, ok.", Sieghart said, as he groaned and went back down the stairs, following Vanilla outside.

Vanilla started skipping randomly and jumping around. She looked a bit overexcited. "Are you okay?", Sieghart asked.

"Yes, I'm fine!", Vanilla said. "Much better than before!"

"What happened before?", Sieghart asked.

"Well...I like this guy, but he's with someone else, and I remembered the same thing happened to me when I was younger. So I was bit angry.", Vanilla said, and was fiddling with her hands. "To be honest, I have no idea what caused me to go over the edge like that..."

"You must a lot of power!", Sieghart remarked. "You even transformed for a split second. That's what Red told us."

"Oh!", Vanilla jumped. "How is she doing? I didn't mean to get angry at her like that..."

"I wouldn't worry about her. Red wouldn't get sad over that.", Sieghart laughed.

"That's true~", Vanilla said, and also laughed. "Want to camp outside with me? The sun is going down."

"Alright.", Sieghart said, and they both walked into the forest. Vanilla took out something from behind her and it morphed into a tent. "How did you do that?"

"I've been training my dream powers. I can dream up medium-sized things like this, but not large things yet.", Vanilla replied.

"No wonder!", Sieghart said.

They both went into the tent, and made a plan of where to sleep. Sieghart would sleep closer to the tent entrance, while Vanilla would sleep far back. Eventually, Sieghart fell asleep, and Vanilla stayed up, singing a lullaby to herself. That's when Tela's horribly cracked singing voice came into her head. It was the time when Tela was still stuck in her head and she decided to sing the lullaby Vanilla always sings. Apparently, she hit all of the wrong notes, and sang in an angry tone which scarred Vanilla for life.

The brown-haired girl just shook it off, and went to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>'Brr...it feels cold. I think I'll cuddle up beside Willow...'<em>

Vanilla wrapped her arms around herself first, then everything else around her.

"Vanilla...? Are you awake..?", someone asked.

"No wait, Tela! It's my fault! I did it!", Vanilla said, and started flailing her arms all over the place.

"Vanilla! Wake up!", the person shook Vanilla, and she jumped.

"Ahh! Don't hurt me!", Vanilla hid in the corner of the tent, until she saw that it wasn't Tela. It was Blake Blank; but how did he knew Vanilla's name? "Oh...hi. Hehehe~", then she thought for a second, and her face turned sour. "Wait, who are you and what are you doing here! PERVERT!"

"Hey! I'm not a pervert!", Blake said, but that didn't stop Vanilla from hitting him with the end of her javelin. She kept hitting him in the face with her javelin until she read his face a little more. _'...He seems kinda cute...Better stop hitting his face, or it might get messed up..!'_

Blake noticed that she suddenly stopped hitting him. "Vanilla...is it?"

"Yes. And you are?", Vanilla asked.

"Blake Blank. But you can call me Blake.", he said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm...just fine!", Vanilla said, and she blushed a little. _'Am I...falling for him already? But I just met him! There's no way...'_

_'Sieghart...Blake...Naru...they're all connected somehow. I have this crazy feeling for them...and they all treat me the same...'_

"Are you sure you're okay?", Blake asked. "You're in some kind of trance..."

Vanilla snapped out of it, and she found that her face was _very_ close to his. She jumped back and blushed a little. Blake laughed at this and said, "You're cute when you blush."

_'Sounds like something Tela would say..',_ Vanilla thought bitterly. She frowned and shook her head. "Don't tease me like that~ You remind me of my friend~"

"Ho ho ho~ It's nice to be referred to~", Tela said with a grin. "Anyways, Knight Master wants you to come back in. She has something offered to you, and a few others."

Vanilla and Blake blinked at each other, and she got up. Vanilla shook Sieghart to wake up, but he only rolled over. That's when Tela shocked him with lightning. Sieghart jumped, and by the time he was fully awake, they were both gone.

* * *

><p>Knight Master was in the kitchen, along with Blade and a few others. Vanilla and Tela had no idea who they are. Everyone else looked at Vanilla with some concern, but the brown-haired Aaerion didn't seem to care. Knight Master started doing some introductions. "Vanilla, Tela, this is Torn, Scarlet, and Selena."<p>

"Hey! Nice to meet you!", Vanilla said.

"I'll have some more fun with these guys~", Tela said mysteriously, but it only phased Scarlet, but just a little. "Ah, but either way, I'm Tela. Nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, hello.", Torn said in a very serious tone.

"Hi~!", Selena said happily, but there was something off about that...

"Hi!", Scarlet said, but she didn't sound so excited.

"I'm sure you'll get along just fine.", Knight Master said, sounding a little less hopeful. They all looked at each other, and Tela made an abrupt cough. "I'm sending you guys to Burgundy Island to look for the others."

"What! But we just got off a mission!", Scarlet groaned.

"I agree with Jewels here.", Tela said. "We just did a mission, we are tired, we want a break. Is that too much to ask?"

Knight Master frowned, and narrowed her eyes at Tela. "I don't want to hear any complaints. Especially from you, ex-Queen. You've been surviving for centuries attached to a gravestone. I don't think you've had a proper break in the least."

Tela folded her arms and make a 'tsk' sound. She looked quite annoyed. Knight Master continued. "As I said, I don't want any complaints. Got it?"

Everyone nodded and Knight Master sent the off to pack up their stuff. Tela was already ready, only taking a little box and her mirror. The others took a lot of things with them. The others waved goodbye to them, and went ahead.

* * *

><p><span>At the Mansion...<span>

A portal opened, and Jeeves came in, along with Kaistern holding a stone. The stone seemed to glow, then turn dull. Everyone was happy for the return of Kaistern, but felt odd because of the stone.

* * *

><p><span>With the Team (Vanilla's POV)...<span>

I held onto Willow as much as possible. I felt so fragile and weak. I felt as though I was decimating. I was fine before, until I met Blake. From then on, I felt so small compared to everyone else. It's driving me nuts!

Willow scratched my arms, which was a sign that I was squeezing her too much. "Sorry, Willow."

Our group was pretty quiet. Normally, it would be noisy and fun. It was starting to bother me, the pain in my chest was coming back, and I was starting to get a headache.

"Are you okay, Vanilla?", Selena asked.

"I'm...just fine. Thank you very much.", Vanilla said.

Selena did a fake smile, and turned back. She looked as though I was lying. What is her problem? I'm just fine! Why does everyone keep worrying about me? Am I that weak! No one worries about the others! But they keep bothering me!

The pain was becoming worse. Why am I so angry? This isn't like me...I need a break. Maybe it's the stress of being in a team. Maybe it's because I'm thinking too much! Right, I need to stop thinking!

* * *

><p><span>TPV<span>

They finally reached the boat. Vanilla was the first to jump onto the boat. "Burgundy Island! Here we come!"

"Someone's finally got their spirit back!", Tela said, and then laughed. "Get it? Spirit?"

"Yup! I get it!", Selena said, then laughed along with Tela.

Torn decided to steer the boat for now. "Who wants to take over after I'm done?"

"I guess I'll do it.", Scarlet said.

* * *

><p>Vanilla was watching the ripples and waves in the water. Tela floated right beside her, and nudged her. Vanilla jumped and Tela smirked. "I see you're very troubled; trying to pick between Sieghart and Blake."<p>

"Yeah...they both remind me of someone...", Vanilla said. She shifted her head over a little more and said, "In the Aaerion dream book, there's a folktale about human and demon reincarnations of Aaerions. They look the same as the Aaerion, but some different personality traits. I wonder if Sieghart and Blake are the incarnation of Naru..."

"Who cares!", Tela said, and put her hands behind her back. "Besides, you shouldn't be basing your boyfriend on whether he's the incarnation of some guy."

"What do you mean 'who cares'!", Vanilla said, and starting yelling again. "And some guy! Naru was very special to me! I loved him...but he loved me like some little sister. Everyone treated me as if I'm some fragile little kid!"

Vanilla's eyes turned red again, and the mark on her forehead started to glow again. Tela sighed and lowered her head. "I didn't know...I'm sorry about that...", then she lifted her head slowly and said, "At least you were loved by someone..."

Tela lowered her head again, and tears came from her eyes and dropped onto the floor. Vanilla went back to normal, and was very shocked. No one had seen Tela act like this before. "Tela...? Tela...", Vanilla whispered.

Tears also started forming in Vanilla's eyes as well. She hugged the spirit tightly, and started shouting, "I'm sorry! I'm SO sorry! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I shouldn't have reacted like that!"

"You know, it's my fault too. I teased you one too many times.", Tela said, and hugged her back.

There was a glow of both light and dark emitting from the both of them. Scarlet and Selena came out to see it, but had to back away because the glow was blinding. When it was done, Vanilla was seen holding a crystal ball, and had purple magician's gloves on. Tela became a bit more opaque than usual, and she was wearing necklaces on her hands.

"I think we got our next jobs.", Tela said. "All we needed to advance was a hug!"

"No, I think it had something to do with what we said...", Vanilla thought.

"I know that! I was joking!", Tela laughed.

"We'll see your new powers when we get to the island.", Selena said, sounding as though she was taunting them into a challenge.

"You bet those wings of yours on it.", Tela joked.

* * *

><p><span>An hour later...<span>

The team reached to Burgundy Island by midday. There were already monsters lurking in the dark for them. The group got ready with their weapons. "Alright! Let's take down some monsters!", Tela shouted to her group members.

"Fair enough..", Torn said. "Just give us the signal."

"How about now?", Scarlet asked. She pointed to the monsters and said, "They're slowly advancing."

"Yeah, sure.", Tela said, and she whistled. "Come on, you stupid monsters! I want a challenge!"

The other all ran after the other monsters that didn't go after Tela. Tela floated a little high in the air, and started charging herself. She was glowing with all different colors. She twirled around and jumped down to the ground. By then, the monsters were within a few feet of her.

The demon spirit spun around very quickly, and chains of different colors attacked the monsters in quick succession. She stopped for a moment and twirled again. The monsters had died, and Tela hadn't broken a sweat. "I like this new power! I wonder what would happen if I tried this on that immortal back at home..."

Meanwhile...

"*Enslave.", Torn said, as he stunned the enemy. He turned back to the enemy, and dashed towards it. "*Overkill." he slashed the monster with his spiritloom until it died.

"*Suzaku!", Scarlet summoned. It attacked the monsters coming at Scarlet with great speed.

"*Dark Lance!", Selena said, as a black lance appeared out of nowhere. She threw it one of the monsters, and it was a direct hit. She proceeded to summon and throw again.

"*Sleep!", Vanilla said, and the monsters coming at her fell asleep. She finished them off with a simple magic combo.

"Well that was easy.", Selena remarked. Both Scarlet and Torn nodded; agreeing with Selena's comment. Vanilla was too busy staring at something to agree. "Hello~ Vaniiilla~"

"Shh...", Vanilla said. "Renma is talking to me."

* * *

><p><span>Vanilla's POV<span>

"You wanted to say something?", I asked to Renma.

_"Due to my psychic powers, one of the things Aaerions could be blessed with, I can communicate with you.", _I was about to open my mouth and say something, when Renma intervened and said, _"No Vanilla, you don't have that power."_

"Right...", I said. I started to fiddle with my hands and asked, "Renma, why is it that I'm so angry these days? I'm getting angry all the time...and it's mostly because of my horrible love life..."

_"Vanilla, be careful. Because we are hybrids, we are both blessed and cursed. It looks like you found you curse before your blessing. Describe everything that happens when you are angry.", _Renma said for me to do.

"Well, first I think my eyes turn red, my hair turns greenish, and the mark starts to glow yellow-green. And my fingernails start to very long. I also get this pain in my chest and forehead; and I feel feverish.", I said. "But after a while, I start to cry, and the pain goes away. I forget about it until something triggers it again."

Renma said nothing for a while, and sighed. _"Green with envy, I see."_

"Green with...", I said, but my voice became too small to hear anymore.

_"You're envious of others, and think you deserve better. Your 'horrible love life' is driving an envious streak through you. Be careful, because that envy could end up harming your friends, and even the one you love.",_ Renma said to me.

I slowly nodded, and tears started to form in my eyes. Her lasts few words; '..._because that envy could end up harming your friends, and even the one you love_', hit me harder than the biggest rock could. "A-Alright..."

* * *

><p><span>TPV<span>

"Is she crying?", Scarlet asked. She handed her a handkerchief, and Vanilla gladly took it. She wiped her tears, and gave the handkerchief back. "I think it's better if you take it."

"It's OK...don't worry about me.", Vanilla said, sniffing, but feeling much better than before.

They traveled down the clearing through the forest, and to a house at the hill.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: And that's a wrap!<strong>

**Tela: I thought you wanted to extend it, no?**

**Me: The update would probably take very long. **

**Vanilla: Why am I so sad all the time? **

**Me: I don't like when my stories are happy all the time. Don't worry, there will be times when you're super duper happy! :D**

**Tela and Vanilla: ...**

**Anyways, just a few things to clarify:**

**1. Torn and Blake are Clandarrlo Slayer's (now known as Ghosthunter Slayer) OCs, Scarlet is Satohika's OC, Selena is ominious's OC. **

**2. Enslave and Overkill are Torn's attacks. Dark Lance is Selena's attack, and Suzaku is one of Scarlet's summons.**

**3. Both Vanilla and Tela got their second jobs! :D**

**4. Tela uses three moves in the battle scene: Provoke, Elemental Charge, and Chain Dance. I'll update the moves on the forum.**

**5. Vanilla used Combustion in the battle scene. I'll also be updating that too. **

**6. Anyone knows what's going to happen? Tee-hee~**


	15. Suspect

Chapter 15: Suspect

They got to the top of the hill, when they realized that something was wrong. The other half of the island was gone. It was far off into the distance, and still pulling further away. "Okay...so how do we get to the other side?", Scarlet asked, slightly annoyed.

"By teleporting.", Tela replied, and *she drew a circle with her fingers. She snapped her fingers after drawing the circle, and there was a red glow emitting*. "One at a time, otherwise it won't work~", she said in a mocking voice.

"How do you know this thing will take us to the island?", Scarlet asked.

"Oh.", Tela tapped her nose, like she was thinking. Then, she replied, "I just know."

"This better work.", Scarlet said in a loud whisper.

First, Torn stepped in the circle and he disappeared almost immediately. The same thing happened when the others tried it. They all instantly teleported to the other side. The group landed on the ground with a thud, excluding Tela and Selena, who could fly.

"Alright guys, let's go find the others.", Torn said with a no-nonsense attitude.

"Isn't that why we're here?", Selena said in a mocking tone.

Torn made a 'tsk' sound as he walked away. They heard someone, or something say, 'Whatever!' very loudly. It sounded nothing like Torn, but it came from his direction. The girls looked at each other and shrugged it off. They followed Torn into heart of the island.

* * *

><p><span>Back at the Mansion...<span>

Kaistern had just returned from a long journey, and was sitting down with the stone on the table. Aira and Amy came walking past him, and Aira was also drawn to the stone as well. Amy looked at the both of them; they were both in some kind of trance. "Aira? Kaistern? What happened to them?", Amy asked. She ran to go call someone.

She got Jin to come and Amy showed him what happened to the both of them. "Strange...the stone seems to be causing the trouble. But it has no effect on us!"

Jin took up the stone, which snapped both Kaistern and Aira out of their trances.

"What happened to the both of you?", Jin and Amy asked in unison.

"Oh, I was daydreaming~", Aira said and she nodded. "I was in a field of flowers.."

"I was daydreaming as well.", Kaistern said. "I was with Freya again..."

Amy picked up the stone and it started glowing again. It had some strange writing on it, but no one could actually understand it. Amy looked over to Jin, who was also thinking, and asked, "Do you think the other demons could read the writing?"

"We could give it a shot.", Jin said, and they both went outside.

* * *

><p><span>At Cerulean Island...<span>

Renma was sitting on the throne with her father, the Elder of the village. With a giant glowing cathedral in the center of the throne room, she saw all of what was happening. She was focusing on the glowing stone Kaistern discovered. "Father, what is it?"

"A stone...from ancient times.", the Elder said sadly. "Bad times are near. I suspect another war will be upon us in the next year or so..."

"The next year! But father, the Aaerions haven't recovered from that huge battle with the demons, and the Kounat war.", Renma said, more surprised than usual.

"Yes, I know.", the Elder said. "One of our own is stirring up trouble...we need to guide the young Dreamcaster at a quicker pace!"

"It's going to be harder than expected. With her immaturity, and the envious nature inside her, it will be easier for her to lose he way.", Renma stated, pondering on the thought, but was interrupted by her father.

The Elder stared fiercely into Renma's eyes. "Do not make excuses! You are to guide the Dreamcaster before another war comes. She'll be the key in avoiding it. I shall send Sophie to investigate who's causing the trouble."

Renma growled under her breath, but said, "...Yes, father."

* * *

><p>She walked out of the throne room, and was heading to Sophie's room when she saw one of the soldiers dead in the hallway. Renma headed for Sophie's room, and saw her in a coma. "This is strange..."<p>

She ran to where her father was and told him what happened. "Father! One of our guards is dead and Sophie is in a coma!"

He growled and said, "I'm growing more concerned for Sophie every day. I wonder if she passed out from anger...", he tapped his fingers and then said calmly, "Let her be, Renma. It's the only way she'll recover properly. Right now, your task is to focus on guiding the young Dreamcaster!"

Renma left her father to think in solitude. He sighed and quietly recited some of the Aaerions' beliefs during their wars. "_Love is the same as War; War will not hesitate to melt the World; The World will make the Demons decay; And Weep, as the World will sing sad Melodies in it's final moments._"

Meanwhile, Sophie woke up from her coma, becoming very anxious and angry for some reason. She decided to give Grand Chase a 'visit'.

* * *

><p>Elesis, Sieghart, Lire, Dio, Zero, Amy, Jin, Brendan, Kaistern, and Aira were sitting at the dinner table. Amy and Jin hadn't succeeded in finding out what it says on the stone. No one understands the writing! They were thinking who could've done it, so they weren't really eating their dinner.<p>

Meanwhile, Kaistern had something on his mind. About what Tela had said to him a few days ago.

_~Flashback~_

_'Hey, Kaistern? Am I considered...normal?', Tela had asked out of the blue._

_Kaistern wanted to get straight to the point. 'What happened?'_

_'These days, I have dreams about killing and obliteration...to everyone. In those dreams, I want to be the last one standing, just like how I was in my past. At that time, I wasn't a spirit, I was a regular demon like everybody else. In some of my dreams, I killed Grand Chase...don't know how it happened or what came over me, but I did.', Tela said, seeming a bit saddened now. She shrugged her shoulders, and floated around. _

_There was a lot of silence in the air for a few moments, until Kaistern said:  
><em>

_'Those are probably dreams of your past life.', Kaistern suggested. _

_'Maybe...I am still concerned. What if I do kill Grand Chase in the future?', Tela asked. _

_'Prevent from happening then.', Kaistern said. 'I don't know how to though.'_

_'That's alright, leave it to meee~", Tela said in her playful voice. 'I'll figure it out~ Just you wait~!'_

_Kaistern nodded and Tela happily danced around and swung him around. 'Let's act like something big happened! That'll fool everyone. But don't tell anyone just yet~' He nodded in reply and headed back to the door, when Tela shook him and whispered, 'You're a great friend~'_

_~Flashback End~_

"Something wrong?", Brendan interrupted Kaistern from his thinking. The raven-haired man stared at the spiky white-haired man for a long time before the white-haired man repeated, "Something wrong, Kaistern?"

Kaistern shook his head, and Brendan patted him in the back. They both went back to eating, thinking it was nothing after all. But, he couldn't shake the feeling that one of his friends would be...

"I need to go.", he said, and got up from the table. He exited out the front door.

"Kaistern?", Dio asked. "What's he up to...?"

"Guess something was up after all.", Brendan said. "We should leave him alone for a while, I think."

* * *

><p><span>Back<span> on Burgundy Island...

The group was very close to the heart of the forest, they just had to pass a thick road of leaves and branches. Torn cut most of them off with his claw, which he happened to call 'Demonus'. Scarlet and Tela also helped by Scarlet summoning Suzaku and Tela using her chain.

Torn got through the last of the thick forest and he saw the others, trapped with a chain around all of them. Tela sensed something, but couldn't see or hear anybody, so she dismissed her instinct.

"Hey you guys! Over here!", said a black-haired man with ruby red eyes. Torn seemed a bit agitated when he saw him.

"Sis, is that you~?", a girl with sea blue hair and eyes said in a innocent tone. Scarlet ran up to her and hugged her. "Oh, sis! You're alright!"

"Selena?", a man with red hair and black eyes said. Selena walked over to him and lifted him up.

"You okay, Zeta?", Selena asked.

"I think so..."

A girl with long, golden hair and emerald green eyes also was standing where the others were. She seemed a bit lonely; there was no one there that she really talked to. She was looking around, and saw the two newest members of the Grand Chase. "Kaistern...? Ugh, that..."

"Hi! You seem a bit lonely.", Vanilla said cheerfully. "What's your name?"

"Stella.", she said. "You guys?"

"I'm Vanilla val Verdu Lille! Nice to meet you!", Vanilla said, jumping around.

"Tela is my name~", the spirit said.

Stella raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I've heard of you before."

Tela chuckled and grinned. "At least someone remembers meee~", she looked around and saw that everyone was reunited with the other members. "Alright! Let's get back to the castle!"

She made a circle and snapped her fingers, like last time. There was a red glow emitting from it again, but this time, Tela snapped her fingers a second time. No one bothered asking why she did that, and stepped into the portal which led them home.

* * *

><p>When they got there, Vanilla ran straight to headquarters. Tela giggled, knowing that she probably ran to the house in search of Sieghart. Either that, or she was homesick, which was just as funny. The others raised an eyebrow at this, and ignored it since they didn't know her very well.<p>

"Gotcha!", someone called. A static noise ripped through the air, but was blocked by Zeta's ***Os Gladii. The shadow jumped back and said, "Aww, I thought I had you for a moment."

"Who are you?", Zeta asked.

"Sophie. Sophie Nina Augusta, Leader of the Aaerions' Military Force.", she said proudly. "I couldn't care less who you guys are, so spare your breath."

"Nonsense~! You need to know our names, so when we beat you up, you'll remember who to come after.", Tela said and grinned. Sophie hissed angrily, but started to laugh manically after that. Tela was a bit hesitant, but she remained calm.

"What's so funny?", Stella asked, crossing her arms.

"Just the thought of who's she talking to.", Sophie said, and was at the point of crying tears of laughter.

"Ha-ha. That's what I was thinking.", Tela said and smirked.

Sapphire pulled her back and whispered, "But she's a military leader!"

Scarlet nodded in unison with her sister and whispered loudly, "Talk anymore and she'll wipe the floor with us!"

But Tela merely laughed.

* * *

><p>Sophie started to laugh as well and said, "I think you're mistaken."<p>

"No, I think you just don't know me.", Tela crossed her arms and pouted. "How come no one remembers me!"

Sophie took out her long taser. "Let's begin already!", the others were about to attack, but Sophie raised her hand and many Aaerions came from the forest. "Now, it's just you and me, spirit!"

"Call me Tela.", the spirit said.

The battle began with Sophie trying to kick Tela in the head. Tela quickly dodged the attack, and it was like this for a while until finally, Sophie used her taser. She tried to shock Tela in the face, but she caught it with her chain.

"Chain Dance!", Tela said and twirled around. The taser was stuck onto the chain and Sophie holding on. The spirit slammed her into a tree and let go of the taser. Sophie got up and brushed it off like it was nothing. "Elemental Charge!"

"Wide open!", Sophie shouted and proceeded to attack Tela, who was in the air, but not high enough. Sophie kicked her in the head, but Tela stood her ground. Sophie became agitated and said, "Why are you so strong!"

"You attacked me a bit late.", she said, a bit calmer than usual. Sophie tried to back away, but was trapped by **colorful chains rooted in the ground. The military leader hissed and tried attacking Tela with her taser, but missed because of the chains.

"Now do you remember meeee~?", Tela asked.

"No! Who the hell are you!", Sophie asked angrily while trying to break free.

"Maybe this will jog your memory..", the bracelet on her right hand turned into a dark red chain. There was an unknown object appearing in her hand. When Sophie realized what it was, her eyes widened. "Ta-da! It's magic~!"

"The ****Dead Cursed...but how?", Sophie said, starting to shiver. "Only the Lightning Clan wielded that! Unless...!"

"You remember...right~?", Tela said. She charged at Sophie with the sword-like weapon and slashed her across her torso. The chains released her from her grasp and she started falling into the battles with other Aaerions. Tela smirked insanely and thought, _'My, my, this brings back old memories...tehehehe~'_

* * *

><p>The others had defeated most of the Aaerions, but they had just kept on coming. Not to mention, they were extremely fast; it was hard to keep up with them. Stella, who had been on the sidelines, saw something falling from the sky; it was Sophie, that military girl. "Looks like Tela's done."<p>

One of the Aaerions' saw this and yelled to their group, "Fall back! Our leader is severely injured!"

"Fall back everyone! We must treat our leader.", said another.

They took up their leader and she growled quietly. She whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear, "I'll get you back, Tela Lightning. You've won the battle, not the war!"

They teleported her back to most likely, Cerulean Island. Both Scarlet and Sapphire, who had told Tela not to fight her, were trying to determine how'd she defeat her. Sapphire weakly asked her sister, "Is it possible that she's stronger than most of us, sis?"

"Like Sieghart? Yeah.", Scarlet said.

The spirit floated down and flew inside headquarters. Even though the group knew the two for a short time, they suspected something, just like the others do.

* * *

><p><span>Vanilla's POV<span>

I was skipping inside the mansion; no one seemed to mind. I waved to the others, but they looked preoccupied with something. They were huddled in a group, so I decided to join them. No harm, right?

I tapped Sieghart's shoulder and he jumped a little. "Ah-ha. Hey Vanilla."

"Hi Sieghart!", I said happily. "What'cha up to?"

"Just trying to find out what's the writing on the stone says.", Sieghart said. I took it up and glanced at it. Sieghart seemed a bit concerned about something, though. He interrupted my track of thought and said, "I just remembered; you can't read..."

"I can't read _English_. I can read Ea, an Aaerion language, though.", I winked at him. He backed off and I glanced at it again. I saw what it says and repeated it aloud: "_Love is the same as War_..."

"Hmm...true, to some extent.", Sieghart said, sort of lost in thought. He chuckled; so did I, soon after. We all laughed at the thought. After that, I saw Tela and the rest come in. They looked a bit tired and shaken up; I wonder why. "Hey guys."

"What happened?", Vanilla asked.

"Um...", everyone said. Was something the matter?

* * *

><p><span>Tela's POV<span>

"We just got attacked by some monsters. It was just that there's alot of them. Nothing special.", I had to lie; it was a mistake for me to tell them that Vanilla's an Aaerion. Now they have to stand a few feet away form her. They think she's the reason for Sophie attacking us.

"Oh...okay.", Vanilla said, slightly confused. "Where did all those monsters come from?"

I was about to say something, but Stella replied, "From the forest." Was she trying to back me up or something? Or is it that she just knows that Vanilla isn't a evil person?

Vanilla skipped along with some sort of rock. I tripped her for fun with my chain and she fell. The rock fell from her hands as soon as she tripped and it broke into little fragments of dust. Once Vanilla realized this, she picked at the grainy bits and said quietly, "Whoops."

"Vanilla! Are you alright?", everyone ran to her (they had watched her since she came in).

"She's fine~", I said. "...I think."

"Well, there goes the rock.", Arme said sadly.

"Hmmm...", Mari mumbled to herself. She picked up the little bits and put them into a mini jar. "I could examine this to see what it is. I thought it was a regular rock at first, but no actual rock turns into dust when it hits the floor."

She took it upstairs, and Vanilla announced she's going to bed (it was late anyways). The other said goodbye, and that's when the rumors from the terrified group started. It was mostly from Scarlet and Sapphire. The others who didn't spread any rumors did nothing stop them. And after all that, everyone actually believed them.

There were a few rumors directed at me, but I was used to it. It was obvious; they were scared of us. They were scared of what we are. But it was different from what they were- Vanilla was nothing like how the Aaerions act. As for me, I've changed now. I'm not the ruthless person I used to be; I calmed down a great deal. But...I feel a storm coming, like I'm coming back to life slowly.

Aren't I acting like Vanilla; better get to sleep before I start growing brown hair and developing huge eyes. Tehehe~~

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've really got nothing to say...except sorry if my writing was out of place. I'm writing a story on FictionPress and I changed my writing style to make it a bit more descriptive ^^. Ohh yeah, and about the battle scene errors, I'll fix them in the next few days.**

**Vanilla: You haven't fixed them yet?**

**Me: Too busy with 2nd semester -.- *not enjoying it* **

**Tela: Err...let's just leave her alone, shall we Vanilla?**

**Vanilla and Tela: *leaves*  
><strong>

**Onto the explanations!**

***= Teleport, one of Tela's skills since she got her 2nd job!**

****= Elemental Trap, another one of Tela's skills.**

*****= Os Gladii, a one-handed weapon Zeta uses.  
><strong>

******= Primary Curse, a very special skill Tela learned. More info will be revealed about this later! **

**The story is heading into it's first climax ^_^ Very proud of myself! ****:D  
><strong>


	16. Hidden Truths

Chapter 16: Hidden Truths

Vanilla woke up the next morning to a holographic Renma standing beside her bed. She jumped and threw the bedsheets at her. Renma sighed loudly. "Congratulations on your second job Vanilla. You've been training really hard to get this far."

"Thank you Renma!", she said happily. "I-"

"But I need you to train faster. As in, get to your fourth job in a month or two."

Vanilla's mouth hung open. No one has ever trained that fast. It would usually take months to master one job and a few more months to advance to the next one. "But...but I can't Renma. I can't train that fast..."

"It's not about you can or can't; you have to.", Renma said, now holding on Vanilla's shoulders. "You have to...in order to prevent a war. There's a war coming, most likely between Aaerions and Demons again. We can't have the war; we don't have the military strength."

"War...?", Vanilla's eye got a bit bigger than they were already. "But, why me? Is it because I'm the last Dreamcaster? What are you planning!"

"We're planning for you to drive away the demons. I was reading up on Dreamcasters and I stumbled upon an interesting fact.", Renma said, almost smirking. "It says that Dreamcasters in their fourth have a special ability that can drive away enemies using holy light."

Vanilla nodded carefully. She was pretty sure that Renma was going to use that special power to drive back the demons. But she still didn't want to be a part of any war. She wanted to just focus on finding out about her past.

"So...what do you say?"

Even so, she still has to help her fellow Aaerions. Maybe it was an Aaerion pride thing? Or was it because she was just naturally selfless? Either way, she felt the need to help, otherwise they would surely lose. Even if it meant delaying her search for her past.

"Fine then. I'll try.", Vanilla said, sounding more determined than usual.

"Good. Then you'll start training today. We cannot delay.", the Aaerion princess said and the hologram disappeared.

Vanilla sighed and left her room. When she opened the door, she saw Lass standing right next to it. It made her very surprised and slightly confused. "Ah, good morning Lass..."

"Good morning."

"Um...what are you up to?"

"Waiting for Arme. Her bedroom is beside yours, remember?", he said coldly.

"Oh right!", she alarmed. "...I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah..", Lass said as he watched the Aaerion walk downstairs.

* * *

><p>"Good morning everyone!", Vanilla said with a big smile.<p>

Some of the other members shot her a glance that made her wonder what she did wrong. She slid into the kitchen and saw Amy cooking breakfast, maybe because Arme wasn't around. "Good morning Amy!"

"Morning Vanilla~!", Amy sung. "Where's Arme?"

"Lass said she was still in her room.", the Aaerion responded. She stuck her head outside the kitchen to see people whispering about something. She got back inside and asked, "Hey is there something going on?"

"Something's going on?", Amy asked, sounding clueless. She turned to face Vanilla and said, "There's nothing going on."

"Okay...?", Vanilla said, now thinking that there was something she was missing. But she couldn't focus on that now. She had to train to get to at least her third job. "Alright! I just wanted to know!"

Amy giggled and said, "Okay~"

Lass and Arme finally came downstairs. Lass went in the living room to join the others. Arme went into the kitchen, only to find Amy cooking breakfast and Vanilla just leaving. "Should I take it from here Amy?"

"You can help if you want.", Amy said.

"Oh, good morning Vanilla~", Arme called.

Vanilla turned back and called, "Good morning Arme!"

"Going outside at this time of the morning?", the young mage asked.

"I haven't trained in a while. I was planning to do some before and after breakfast.", Vanilla replied. She laughed and said, "Yep! That's the story alright!"

"Okay. Don't overwork yourself~!", Arme stated and turned back to her cooking. Vanilla left out the door and shortly afterwards, Amy stopped cooking and peered out the kitchen.

Ronan was reading a book, Aira was sitting down beside Zero, Kaistern was also with Stella, Lass was sitting near Ronan, Mari was making something new, Sieghart was sleeping nearby her, and everyone else was either still sleeping or outside. She didn't get how Vanilla looked out and thought something was wrong.

She decided to think about it later and focus on now.

* * *

><p>Tela was still sleeping. She would have been up already, teasing everyone in the living room but she had a terrible night. Not that she slept bad, but she didn't sleep soundly either. The demon spirit mumbled something and stirred around until she fell off the bed.<p>

"Oh, that was just a little nightmare!", she said, laughing at herself.

The demon spirit felt...off. Maybe because she just jumped out of a nightmare or because she never got enough sleep. Either way, she felt funny. The demon spirit took up her comb and attempted to do her hair. Though this time, it wasn't hard to comb. When she looked, Tela's hair grew a few inches.

"Weird...", Tela said to herself and shrugged. "Time to annoy some people~"

She switched into her everyday clothes and floated to the living room. When she got there though, all the guys were staring at her chest. "Hello everyone! Hey wait, what are you guys looking at!?"

"Miss Tela, your chest...", Ronan started, but stopped as soon as the demon spirit gave him a death glare.

"Oh~ And what about my chest!", Tela started yelling.

"Looks like you inflated your chest, Tela.", Sieghart said, happily laughing. Everyone else giggled or looked away, making the demon spirit fluster in anger.

"S-Shut up! And stop staring, will you?", she said angrily. Tela ignored the laughs and glanced around. "Mmm...what happened to that Aaerion? I'm going to annoy her."

"Outside.", they all called. The demon spirit rushed out the door, making everyone sweatdrop.

* * *

><p>Vanilla was outside meditating. Not to channel her energy and such, but to connect with the Dream world. She read in the Dreamcaster's book that they're supposed to establish a connection between them and the Dream world. She found herself levitating slowly into the clouds.<p>

She opened her eyes, only to find herself lying down on the grass. Tela was also there, looking down at her. She jumped at the sight of her demon friend. Tela didn't look so much like...Tela anymore. Do demon spirits age?

"Ahh...morning Vanilla Ice-cream! Dreaming of someone...?", she asked.

"Oh, it's nothing...", Vanilla said, levitating again. "Just trying to float into the dream world!"

"So that you can escape from a reality that doesn't fulfill your wishes? And fly into a new dimension where everything will come true without having to worry about the unspeakable?", the complicated though just escaped her mind. She held her head in confusion and muttered, "What the flying-"

"Huh? You never say stuff like that Tela.", Vanilla said, sounding concerned. She thought for a moment before coming up with a hypothesis. "You're an IMPOSTER! You're not the real Tela!"

"Where'd you come up with that idea? Did Sieghart tell you some random crap or something?", she asked. Vanilla jumped up and backed away from her. "Ugh, I need sleep. Goodnight."

She floated back inside and to her bedroom.

* * *

><p>Vanilla came back inside, where her breakfast sat at the table. It was funny how nobody else sat there. Not to mention, it looked as though it hadn't been there for long. She looked around, but no one was in the living room. Vanilla decided to take her breakfast to her bedroom.<p>

Sieghart's head popped out of a huge plant that sat on one side of the hallway that connected the kitchen and the living room. Lass was up on the ceiling, the only place Vanilla hadn't bothered to look. They gave each other small glances before sneaking upstairs.

* * *

><p>Knight Master was with the rest of the Chase. They ate at the meeting room, another place Vanilla didn't look. She sat firmly, waiting for everyone's attention. Verdan sat beside her, like a teacher's pet. "I have a mission for you all."<p>

"Word came across that Sophie is in a coma. Now, we usually don't do this but infiltrate Cerulean Island and put an end to the Aaerions' Military!", she said forcefully. "We need about two-three of you since Verdan accompanying you makes it four. Who would like to?"

Elesis raised her hand very quickly. She thought that by doing this mission, she can become stronger. Dio also raised his hand. The only reason though was because he didn't like the Aaerions (aside from Vanilla) and thought that those 'weaklings' should die.

"No one else? Fine.", Knight Master said. "You may proceed immediately after this meeting."

"Knight Master...", Arme raised her hand. "Tela's acting kind of weird. I passed by her and she was mumbling nonsense. She also looks a bit different..."

"Hmm...", Knight Master thought, then called off the meeting. She was going to speak with Tela personally.

* * *

><p><span>Later On...<span>

Elesis, Dio and Verdan were almost at Cerulean Island. Elesis and Verdan chatted about the Sorcerer, while Dio stared at the approaching island. He sensed something familiar, like something watched their every move...

"So, was the Sorcerer nice?", Elesis asked.

"Oh yes! She was very bright and cheerful! Extremely nice and caring.", he answered cheerfully as if the Sorcerer was his goddess.

"What happened to her?", Elesis asked again.

"I...don't know.", the fox demon shook its head sadly. "We got caught up in the war and separated. I've been weakened considerably, so I can't even sense her anymore."

Elesis just nodded her head at the story. It kind of reminded her of her father and how he got separated from her. The thought disappeared from her head as she turned to Dio, who focused on the island.

"...Be careful. There's some weird energy.", Dio warned as they approached Cerulean Island.

* * *

><p><span>Meanwhile...<span>

Sophie slowly awoke from her short-lived coma.

_...I'm alive? Incredible. Now I shall get my revenge..._

Closing her eyes, she sensed them coming. Her eyes glowed red when she opened them.

_This is my chance!_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'M SO SORRY! Sorry I haven't updated in like...half a year. I actually had it half completed, but was suffering from writer's block. Even now, it still isn't really gone. **

**Foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is so great here. You could actually solve the whole mystery without reading this if you pay very close attention to detail. (In my eyes...but that's kind of biased, right?) That's why the chapter isn't so long. It's just a bunch of foreshadowing.  
><strong>

**I'm addicted to Touhou right now, so if you don't see me update in a while it's because of school or Touhou.  
><strong>

**Actually, now I want Touhou themes for my characters...o-o  
><strong>

**:3  
><strong>


	17. Aaerion Retaliation Strike!

Chapter 17: Aaerion Retaliation Strike!

Sophie glanced around the room. It looked the same as how she left it that other day. But something felt different, like there was someone there. Red mist clouded her eyes suddenly and she desperately rubbed her eyes. Sophie blinked once more, only to find that she sensed some people coming to her bedroom. She turned around to see guards coming into the room.

"Ah! You're awake.", one of them said. "But you're eyes are a bit red...are you okay?"

"I'm just fine, thanks.", she mumbled and snapped her head away, signaling the guards to leave at once.

She blinked once, twice and tried sensing out someone else. She sensed Renma pacing back and forth in the corridor. Sophie climbed out of bed and slightly pushed the door open. Renma really was pacing back and forth in the corridor. The princess happened to notice her friend staring at her and stopped. "Hey, it seems you're awake. You okay?"

"I am fine. My eyes are just...misty.", she said. "I think I've gained a new power of some sort."

She looked into Sophie's eyes, like she was looking into her soul. "Hmm...I guess it makes sense why you're eyes are red.", she nodded and walked away from her. "I'll inform my father about your new power...ability, whatever it is. But for now, you should deactivate it."

The military leader nodded and turned to go outside. The princess watched her go outside cautiously, but left to the throne room when she headed out the door. Once Renma got to the throne room, she checked the cathedral for what was happening. Instead, she got a very blurry picture of the stone, now as fragments of dust. She also saw a blue-haired girl testing them with some machine.

Renma turned off the cathedral and ran out the throne room.

* * *

><p><span>Meanwhile...<span>

It hadn't been very long since Grand Chase came to this island because Vanilla was looking for something. It was still as foggy and dense as ever. But it wouldn't take them as long this time; they knew exactly where to go now to get to the Aaerion Village. Elesis lead the way, followed by Dio and Verdan, who clung to the demon's back.

For a while now, something was moving in the bushes behind them. And it seemed to follow them wherever they went. The team moved onto another path, but whatever it was continued to follow them. Elesis finally stopped and so did Dio, who turned around to see if the demon fox was okay.

Verdan was the only one who didn't know what went on. "Why did we stop? Is there something wrong?"

"There's something moving around in the bushes.", Elesis replied.

"Shut up!", Dio said rudely, which made Elesis pissed. "They're watching us. Whatever it is."

Whispers could be heard amongst the bushes, which the silent wind made even louder. A huge foot with claws stepped out. Elesis and Dio both readied their weapons as one large arm extended outwards. A giant wolf appeared, along with three smaller ones. Verdan started to laugh, which made the the two of them turned to give him an annoyed look.

"Do not worry! They are friendly guardians of the woods here.", Verdan said. "I too, am one of them."

He jumped off Dio's back and walked towards them. The wolves looked down at him and opened the palms of their hands. A small, light green glow emitted for the center of their palms. Verdan put his little paw on top of it and closed his eyes. Elesis and Dio noticed that they both started to glow the same color. He took his palm away and whispered something to the four wolves.

"You are Verdan. Young guardian of the woods, friend to the sorcerer.", the largest wolf said.

"Speaking of which, where is the sorcerer?", one of the other wolves asked.

Verdan shook his head. "I'm not sure...we got separated."

"I see...", they said in unison. "You have our blessing. I hope you are safe, little fox demon."

"Thank you. And I will.", he said and walked off into the direction of the Aaerion Village. Elesis and Dio stared at the demon fox walking away from them, looking more confident. They shrugged and pretended that everything that happened made sense. "Alright, let's head to the village."

* * *

><p>Once they got to the Aaerion village, they hide in the bushes. There wasn't much; barely any guards, but there were a lot of people. If anything, they had to sneak in to avoid causing a commotion. Elesis pointed to a small path around the village and tip-toed along it. Dio and Verdan followed her, until she came to a complete stop.<p>

"Shh...I felt something almost trip me.", Elesis tried to whisper, but caught a nearby guard's attention. He looked in the direction of where they were for a moment before turning his back. "Someone or something was here. I'm sure of it."

"We'll have to proceed with caution. Follow me.", the demon fox said as they continued to circle around the village. Dio bumped into what seemed like nothing along the way. He scowled and rubbed his head. Verdan turned around and asked, "You okay Dio? Did you-"

He was cut off by the appearance of an Aaerion guard behind Dio. Elesis brought out her two swords and quickly slashed him. Immediately, three more guards surrounded them. Dio got back up and summoned his scythe. He slashed two of the three guards. "What the hell? Where are they all coming from?"

Soon after, all those citizens in the village turned into guards. Verdan widened his eyes and jumped on Dio's shoulders. "Looks like the only way to get to the palace is to fight them off. Even if it means having Grand Chase's relationship with the Aaerions strained."

"It was already strained the moment we accepted this mission.", Elesis said as she held her two swords in front of her.

The guards charged at them in numbers. But Elesis and Dio were able to injure them easily. If they were so easy to kill, why were they such a threat? Suddenly, Elesis narrowed her eyes at Verdan. Either she was too strong for them or the demon fox played them. Either way, it was too late to turn back now.

* * *

><p>Renma ran outside to go the Grand Chase mansion, only to realize that all their guards were injured or killed. The princess came face-to-face with the group. Verdan whispered in Dio's ear. "Be careful. The princess isn't as weak as you think she is."<p>

"To think, Grand Chase would do this.", she said, now a bit calmer. "Everything in this world is evil."

"You're the evil one!", Elesis proclaimed.

"Me? I haven't done anything wrong.", she said, charging up something. Her body turned light blue and a mark appeared on her forehead. The exact same marking as Vanilla. Her horns grew and each of them split into two.

Elesis and Dio both charged at her. As soon as they lifted their swords to attack, they were paralyzed. Renma looked upwards and the two of them levitated up. She held them in place with her hand, and looked at Verdan. "And I assume you, of all people, led them here?"

"...Yes, I did, your majesty.", Verdan said quietly.

"Wait! What kind of power is this?", Elesis asked.

"Curse Mode, we call it.", Renma explained. "We're born with it, we live with it and we usually die with it. It transmits all negative energy into power that is stored in this marking on our foreheads. Dangerous ability if you don't know how to use it."

"To think, the princess would tell us her ability just like that.", Verdan said to himself.

"I only said it because Vanilla is with you.", Renma said and levitated the demon fox as well. Elesis and Dio tried to use their skills, but they couldn't move. Verdan was also with them, but he can move his arms and legs. "I'm headed to the Grand Chase mansion to get something."

"What are you playing at, Renma?", Dio asked, hissing at her.

"Nothing, Burning Canyon. I tried to contact Vanilla, but it seems that stone Grand Chase found is in little fragments? Only I know how to fix it.", the princess said and walked out of the village. But before she did, released them from her spell and transformed back into her normal self.

As she walked away, a green glow started to engulf the three of them. The green glow traveled through the ground, past Renma and exploded into a barrier that surrounded the village. The princess tapped at it and whispered to herself. She walked through the barrier as if it wasn't there to begin with.

* * *

><p>"How did she do that?", Verdan asked.<p>

"Shouldn't we be asking what was that barrier all about?", Elesis suggested.

"I recognize that barrier. It was used for defense and for sealing off an area, if I recall.", Dio replied. "I bet she has a way of getting out of the barrier."

"I suppose.", the demon fox said as he looked around. "You know, I'm not sure how we're going to get out.", he looked towards the sky, only to see the barrier extend miles upwards. He looked back at them sadly and ran towards a house that seemed to be abandoned.

He came back out with a leaf; a regular leaf that can be found anywhere on the island. Elesis crossed her arms and grumbled, "What are we going to do with a leaf? Throw it at the barrier and hope it goes down?"

"How did you guess?", Verdan asked. Elesis's mouth hung wide open as he held out the leaf to her. "It's not a normal leaf. Made by the Sorcerer herself, it's main purpose is to dispel magic. I bet the princess had one of them and used it to dispel a part of the barrier."

The demon fox trotted past them and blew the leaf towards the barrier. Once it made contact, the barrier went down. Dio was the first one to get up, followed by Elesis. How where they going to tell Knight Master what happened? And what was Renma talking about?

Thoughts and questions swarmed the three of them. The kind of did what they are supposed to do; cripple the Aaerion's military. But at the same time, they failed their mission; they didn't get anywhere near Sophie. And Renma, she was going to the mansion to do something. Unless they did something fast, the princess would beat them to it.

The group started to move at a faster pace towards their boat.

* * *

><p>Once Vanilla was done eating, she tip-toed downstairs, only to find that no one was still there. She went to the kitchen to put away her plate, then walked back out, hoping someone would pop out. But the halls and the living room were empty. She shrugged and came to the conclusion that everyone was on a mission.<p>

She opened the door to go outside, but found that Ryan's flower patch untouched. Vanilla glanced at them before finding a quiet area to connect to the Dream World. Once she was in a meditating position, she took a deep breath and her mind and spirit ascended to the Dream World.

* * *

><p><em>Vanilla walked on a thin wire towards a beautiful valley with bright green plants, many small lakes filled with freshwater, and lots of wildlife. It reminded her of somewhere she used to be, but the memory was out of her reach. Either way, Vanilla would make it, as long as she doesn't fall. <em>

_Midway through, the wire felt as though it got slimmer. The Aaerion made the mistake of looking down to check the wire. All she saw below was darkness; a bottomless pit. She gulped and walked quicker, but it made her almost slip a couple of times.  
><em>

_She was near the end, near the end of her journey. "Vanilla?", someone called.  
><em>

_Vanilla turned, but saw no one. She heard the same voice, but coming from above her this time. Looking up, she saw nothing but lavender sky. The Aaerion was a bit frightened now and cautiously stepped. She heard the voice again, but coming from below her. This time, she saw past Dreamcasters. And then, she saw Naru.  
><em>

_"Vanilla? You're in the Dream World?", Naru asked.  
><em>

_"Are you hear to join us?', the rest of them asked in unison.  
><em>

_She stepped backwards and almost fell into the darkness. "What do you mean?"  
><em>

_One of them snickered. "We're asking if you're hear to join the dead! You're the last one, fighting for your race. You're now a soldier, only there to sacrifice yourself to stop it."  
><em>

_"Death is inevitable for the Dreamcasters!"  
><em>

_"You'll never escape death!"  
><em>

_Naru scoffed and stared at Vanilla. "Don't listen to them! Do what you want to do Vanilla. Death awaits everyone eventually.", he pointed towards the valley. "Continue on! You're almost there."  
><em>

_Vanilla wanted to stay with him, but she had to go. She was almost to the Dream World and she wasn't going to stop now. She stepped cautiously until she made it to the Dream World. She made it; she actually made it to the Dream World. But it didn't take long for Vanilla's time in the land to be up.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Vanilla found herself cuddled beside a tree. She had no idea how she got there in the first place. Heck, she was nowhere near a tree when she was meditating. Someone moved her without actually waking her up. <em>'Wow...I must've been really focused.' <em>

Someone was also lying down at the tree, napping. Once she saw him, Vanilla blushed and turned back to face the mansion. _'It's Blake Blank! Why is he here? Did he...bring me over here!?' _

She tried to get and tiptoe away, but once she got up, Blake opened one eye and said, "Vanilla? You're awake? I thought you were unconscious."

"Oh no! I was...uh...in another world?", Vanilla said, trying to hide her obvious blush. "Yeah...uh, it's part of my training..."

"Oh, well, I guess that explains everything.", he said, scratching his head. "But listen...I need you to listen for a moment. This is really important, and I doubt that the others will tell you or don't know."

"Huh? Wait...what happened?", Vanilla asked, her eyed brimmed with curiosity.

"I don't think anyone told you, but the Aaerions attacked this mansion...twice. And they're trying to start a war at the moment. Which is why...some of the Grand Chase suspect that you have something to do with it. You and Tela."

"...What!? But why would I take part in starting a war? Why would I drag them into danger?", Vanilla's eyes filled up with water quickly.

"I don't know, I didn't know until just now.", Blake shrugged and then was suddenly pulled into a hug. "Don't worry too much, I still trust you."

They stayed like this for awhile. Vanilla cried on Blake's shoulder while he stood there, comforting Vanilla. It lasted until they both something coming from behind Blake. They both looked to see Renma coming form the forest. Having not met Renma, Blake became confused.

"Don't worry Blake! I know her.", Vanilla said and wiped away the tears. "Though, I don't know why she came..."

Vanilla ran towards Renma, but her hand stopped her from moving any closer. "Vanilla...we need to talk."

* * *

><p><strong>Hello everyone! I'm still alive! <strong>

**My excuse this time? School, exams (I'm done them for now. HELL YEAH!), Touhou (mastered 6,7,8, 12 and 13. So proud.), catching up to the latest Bleach manga chapter (I know, I know, what am I doing with my life), and watching Hetalia Season 5 (Yes, it's out. Currently awaiting episode 3).  
><strong>

**I'll be focusing on this story for now. I've done calculations and this story should end between chapter 35 and 40. Meaning, this story is halfway done. So proud of myself :)  
><strong>


	18. Trust Again

Chapter 18: Trust Again

They walked in, only to find no one still in the house. Blake scratched his head; he'd just seen them only moment ago and now they vanished into thin air. Renma wriggled her nose and glanced around suspiciously. Vanilla and Blake turned to each other, then back to the Aaerion princess, who pulled something...or someone, out of the nearby plant in the hall. It was a napping Sieghart.

"Sieghart? But...why?", Vanilla asked, tilting her head.

"What a weirdo.", Renma said, putting him by the wall. "So, where are the others?"

Unknown to them, Lass clung onto the roof. He shook his head when he realized that Sieghart got caught easily. Now, he had to make sure he didn't get caught. After all, he was an expert at hiding; it would be strange to get caught so easily. Lass wondered what Renma was up to. There was no prior warning that she would be coming here. Maybe it had something to do with the recent mission some of their members were on? Either way...it was still suspicious.

Renma sensed someone else, someone different from Sieghart. But she couldn't see anyone in sight. She looked towards Vanilla and Blake, who were awkwardly close to each other. She sighed and said, "Do you know where your leader is? I don't know who he or she is..."

"Knight Master!", Vanilla and Blake said in unison.

"Knight Master?", Renma tilted her head innocently. "Okay, so where is this 'Knight Master'?"

"Here, she's usually in her office!", Vanilla grabbed Renma's hand and pulled her away. Blake shrugged and followed them to the office Knight Master is usually in.

Vanilla opened the door to see...nobody. The office just had a simple wooden table and chair. There wasn't even any paperwork on the desk, just a little sticky note. Blake went past the two Aaerions stuck at the door and peered at the sticky note.

_Meeting hall, 10 AM _

He raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Vanilla, what time is it?"

"Uh...it's about 10:30. Why do you ask?", she asked innocently.

He looked back at the sticky note, then back at her. After a moment of staring, Vanilla snatched it from him and looked at it herself. _Meeting Hall, 10 AM. _It somewhat connected in her head as she decided to drag the both of them to the meeting hall. While Blake at least had an idea of why she dragged them along, poor Renma had no clue what was going on. As Blake was about to ask, Vanilla said, "I'm gonna go see what's going on. And I decided to take you guys."

"Will Knight Master or whatever her name be there?", Renma asked.

"Hopefully. Once I get this straightened out, I'll let you talk to her.", Vanilla said, remembering what Blake told her moments ago. Her eyes started to turn watery, but she blinked back the tears. "I've had enough of this!", she tried to shout, but it came out muffled. They both went silent as they all went to the meeting hall's door. The three of them could hear fierce arguments, but couldn't hear what they were about. Vanilla, both angry and sad, activated the seal on her forehead and kicked down the door.

* * *

><p>Time seemed to freeze as everyone stopped halfway through their sentences to watch the metal door being split into half by...Vanilla? Even Blake and Renma couldn't believe it for a moment. Jin, Mari, Ley, Kaistern, Scarlet and Sapphire were on the left side while Lire, Arme, Ryan, Amy, Ronan, Zero, Aira, Brendan, Blade, Selena and Stella were on the other side. Knight Master was in the middle.<p>

"What's going on here...?", Blake asked. No one answered though.

"I would like to ask the same.", Renma asked. Everyone was surprised to see her, probably because no one expected to see her. When no one still gave an answer, she said, "Well?"

"Many of the Grand Chase members were concerned about whether they could trust you Tela. That is why I decided to hold a secret meeting to see what action should be taken.", Knight Master said.

Vanilla was about to say something when Elesis, Dio and Verdan appeared out of nowhere and ran past the three of them, into the meeting room. As Elesis stopped in the middle to catch her breath, she said, "Knight Master! The whole village attacked us, but we couldn't put a stop to the military! The Aaerion princess stopped us before we had the chance to."

Everyone turned to Renma, whose facial expression didn't change one bit. She finally said, "You were the ones who came in, slaughtering my people. I stopped you out of self-defense."

A fight was about to break out between Elesis, who was fast approaching the princess, when Vanilla stepped in front of Renma. She clenched her fists and said, "I can't believe that you would hold a secret meeting without hearing what I have to say, but...", she was close to tears, but she held them back once more. "...This is partly my fault for not saying anything. Let me explain everything."

"...We fear there's a war coming up between the Aaerions and the Demons. Being one of the last Dreamcasters, I have to train to my fourth job in a month. Instead of trying to fight them, we're avoiding the fight.", Vanilla explained. Everyone seemed to listen to the story, even if some if them thought she was lying. "That's why I was locked up in my room a lot. That's why I kept training all the time. But I wouldn't do anything to threaten the team and neither would Tela, even if she's a bit suspicious. So I tried to hide it, so you guys don't worry so much. And so you guys won't get hurt because of me. But-"

"Vanilla, if you have a problem, you should let us know.", Ronan said.

"Yeah! It's not like we're going to reject you or something!", Jin chimed in.

"That's why we're here! We'll always be there to help!", Amy said.

Vanilla giggled slightly and said, "Thanks guys. I was just afraid of hurting you guys. I didn't mean to look untrustworthy."

Scarlet grumbled and said, "Well...I guess we'll forgive you. Hopefully, you aren't lying or something."

"Vanilla? Lying? She's one of the worst liars ever."

Everyone turned around to see Tela floating behind Blake and Renma. She smiled as she said, "My, my, a secret meeting about trust? I haven't done anything that has destroyed the trust between you all and I. Now I'm assuming that people can't trust me is because...they fear me? And does the same apply to Vanilla?", the questions sounded more like statements and accusations to the Grand Chase members.

"Well, we heard what you did to that military leader! You easily defeated her...with that cursed sword, no less. And only the Lightning Clan, a strong extremist clan had that sword!", Ley shouted at her.

"My, my, someone knows their history~", Tela responded. "Is it the fact that Sophie seemed powerful? Or is it that I used to rule the Lightning Clan? Sophie isn't that strong, she could've been defeated by anyone of us. And my death, plus how long I've spent alone thinking of what I've done has changed me for the most part."

"Don't be afraid of me either. I wouldn't hurt any of you, even if the mark on my forehead says otherwise.", Vanilla explained.

"I believe you.", someone said from behind Tela. It was both Sieghart and Lass, standing behind Tela. Their clothes were somewhat burned, but no one really asked about that. Lass started by saying, "We heard most of the conversation and know that Vanilla wouldn't lie like that."

"Thanks for believing me."

"Wait- what about me!? Are you saying I'm not trustworthy!?", Tela yelled at the two of them.

"Let me think about that.", he said, pretending to put on his thinking face. "Yeah, we are."

Within ten seconds, Tela started chasing around Sieghart, throwing lightning bolts at him. The others giggled at the sight and turned their attention back to Vanilla, who laughed until she turned red. "So what do you say?"

"I say we help you with your training while investigating this war.", Lire suggested. A lot of people nodded in agreement. "That is, if you and the princess agree."

"I think it's a good idea, to train with friends.", Renma said, turning her head to Vanilla. "What do you think?"

"It's a GREAT idea! Thank you Lire!", she said, rushing inside and tackling the elf to the ground. They all laughed at the sight. It was good to have things back to the way it was when Vanilla joined; happy and well. Even if not all people were convinced, like Scarlet, Dio and Ley.

"Not a problem.", Lire laughed, trying to get up.

"I too, think it's a great idea.", Knight Master said. "We can send you on missions and you can investigate and train her at the same time. Besides, the Grand Chase was designed to defeat Kaze'aze, but now that we have defeated her, Grand Chase's mission is to stop any evil."

"Right!", Vanilla said, agreeing with Knight Master. "And next time, if there's anything, I'll let you guys know before I do anything.", she said, getting off the floor. A lot of people nodded happily and some of them even gave her a group hug.

* * *

><p>"Now that that's all cleared up, I came to ask about a stone Grand Chase recently acquired.", Renma said, looking at everyone in the room.<p>

"We used to have the stone, but the stone turned to dust.", Aira quietly said.

"I've been experimenting on the dust. I have it in my lab if you want it.", Mari said.

"Wait, why do you need it?", Kaistern asked.

"It was one of the last few of our stones. I needed it to create Vanilla's weapon for her last job.", Renma said, then directed her attention to Mari. "I know how to repair the stone, so its fine if you give me the dust."

"We've been trying to find out what the stone was. It put some of our demon members into a trance.", Jin explained.

"Oh, that's what the stone does. It attracts demons and puts them into a dream-like state where they dream about something they love.", she said as she started to follow Mari into her laboratory. It was basically the last room, all the way at the end of the hallway, with a sign that said 'Keep out'. She opened the door and revealed her lab, which was somewhat messy with the piles of paper on her desk and the gadgets scattered on the floor.

"Anyways, where is the dust?", she asked, looking around at the different inventions.

"It's in here.", Mari picked up a small jar with specs of golden dust inside it. She practically stuffed it into the Aaerion's hands and started heading back. Renma shrugged and followed her out of the lab. "May I see how you repair the stone?"

"Sure, I guess?", she shrugged and transformed into her demon form. She used her psychic powers to open the jar and levitate the dust. Using sheer force, she managed to very slowly put it all back together. After about almost half an hour, it was finally complete. "There...it is done...", she said, huffing.

"Using your powers that long must put an incredible strain on you.", Mari stated, analyzing everything she saw.

"Yes, it does because I'm a normal Aaerion.", she said, now leaning against a nearby wall to catch her breath. "Well, I'll be off in a few moments. Thank you..."

"Mari."

"Like I was saying, thank you Mari."

"You're welcome.", she went back into her lab and slammed the door shut.

* * *

><p>Renma, meanwhile, went back downstairs, only to encounter Dio heading upstairs. He gave her a ferocious glare, but instead of glaring back, she smiled bitterly and said, "I trust you're doing well, Burning Canyon? You must be happy to see that I'm going back home."<p>

"Tch. Like I care what you and your clan do.", he crossed his arms and turned away.

"And our family were so close at one point...", she commented.

"Stop living in the past, Renma. We're enemies now and I wouldn't trade the pride I have for being a demon over a silly friendship.", he pushed past the Aaerion princess and walked upstairs.

"Hmph. Whatever you see fit.", she huffed and continued walking downstairs. She waved goodbye to the Grand Chase members and headed out the door with the stone. Once she was gone, Knight Master came into the living room, where everyone is.

* * *

><p>"I need teams of about 3-4 people to investigate Orange, Yellow, Purple and Pink Islands. Report anything out of the ordinary back to me and we'll also ask the Aaerion princess about it.", Knight Master commanded. "The mission will start tomorrow. You have the rest of the afternoon for free time."<p>

She left everybody with that and the Grand Chase continued talking to each other normally. Vanilla smiled as she sat in the middle of the sofa. Somewhat uncomfortable since everyone seemed to squish beside her, but she was happy that the misunderstanding was cleared up.

Tela, meanwhile, was busy making fun of Aira and poking her cheeks. The water mage hid behind Zero, who was now being made fun of by Tela too. "Aira and Zero sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"Uuu~ I keep telling you, weren't not a couple!", Aira said from behind Zero.

"But the way you two act when you're together, it pretty much spells LOVE!", she teased.

"...We're only friends...now quit it.", he said.

"Fine~", she said, crossing her arms and floating away.

"Hey guys...? I'm kinda hungry and I can't get up to eat something.", Vanilla said. "So...if it isn't a problem...can someone make room for me to get up...?"

"No one can get up, Vanilla.", Arme said, trying to make room, but she was squished between Lire and Ryan, who were also squished. "Who's taking up all the room anyways?"

"It's the old man!", Elesis said, looking as though she was about to explode. "He took up like half of the couch..."

"Glad I'm not on that sofa!", Brendan stood in the middle of the living room and laughed.

"DON'T STAND THERE! MOVE HIM!", Elesis shouted, scaring everyone who wasn't paying attention.

"Sheesh, okay!", Brendan said, slowly lifting Sieghart's feet off the sofa, followed by his head. He fell off the sofa with a loud thump, again scaring people who werr busy doing other stuff. "There! I saved the day! Wow, he's still sleeping...I guess that's Sieg for you."

It was so relaxing, so happy at the mansion. And they all didn't want it to change at the moment. Sometimes, it was moments like these that brought the team together.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for not updating in a long while...? :P**

**Anyways, I decided to post a chapter before going on vacation. I'll probably post another one after (which is like the last two week of August). I really need to set myself a real schedule...pretty much making the story on a whenever-I-feel-like-it schedule. Which is not really a schedule.**

**Side story coming up next! :)**


	19. Side Story: Not So Typical Day

Side Story: A Not-So Typical Day

Someone opened the door and everyones eyes seemed to turn to the door. But who could it be? No one was on a mission; everybody was in the living room or upstairs. Though, Lass seemed to become more cautious as the mysterious person stepped through the door.

"Uh...who is that?", Vanilla asked.

"That's Rufus Wilde, Lass's half-brother.", Lire said.

"Oh! I've never seen him before!", Vanilla said, a bit curious. She looked at him enter the room, then looked back at Lass, then looked at him. "And I can kind of see the resemblance in the face."

Rufus's eyes darted left and right, scouting the room. He grumbled under his breath and left to go upstairs. Both Vanilla and Lire sweatdropped at this. Lire said, "Unfortunately, he's not much of a people person. And he usually gets annoyed when you talk to him."

"So he's basically another Dio?", Vanilla asked.

"Except you can actually talk to Dio."

Rufus came back in with a book, jumped onto an empty seat next to Vanilla and read without saying a word about who she is and what she's doing here. 'Well that's convenient...', she thought. 'Maybe he's just shy. Maybe I have to introduce myself first.'

Vanilla slowly, but surely, leaned towards him, trying to see what he was reading. She scanned the words, but wasn't sure what he was reading about. "What'cha reading?"

Rufus looked at her, with a scowl on his face. He grumbled, "I'm reading a book about bounty hunting."

"Oh? Are you a bounty hunter?", she asked.

"Yeah."

Seeing that Vanilla somewhat got his attention, she proceeded to introduce herself. "By the way, my name is Vanilla val Verdu Lille. It means vanilla-covered lily. Oh, but you can just call me Vanilla!", she remembered that she wasn't exactly a part of the Grand Chase for that long. "Oh! I'm also new here!"

"Whatever, Vanilla.", he said, not really looking at her.

'Wha-whatever!?", she said, twitching her eye slightly. Okay, she could deal with less talkative people, but this guy was like Mari! She remembered how many times she tried to start an actual conversation with her, and only getting maybe a one-word response. Vanilla decided to try another approach.

"So...you're Lass's half-brother?", she asked. He raised his head and snapped it towards Vanilla. He had an irritated look on his face, signalling that maybe she shouldn't have asked.

"Yes...", he gritted his teeth.

"Uh...I'm sorry?", she shrugged.

He grumbled and buried his head into the book. Vanilla gulped and turned back to Lire, who whispered, "You sure are persistent, aren't you Vanilla?", she got up from her seat and stretched. "I'm going to go outside. I'll see you later!"

"See you later Lire!", Vanilla waved goodbye to her. Now she was left here to get him to at least introduce himself to her, but Rufus didn't look as though he wanted anything to do with her.

But why did being asked that bother him so much? Vanilla tapped him on the shoulder and asked,"Excuse me, but do you dislike Lass?"

He didn't turn to Vanilla, but instead eyed her. "You really like bothering me, don't you?", he grumbled. "I don't hate him, but I don't want him as my brother.", his already agitated-looking face turned into a scowl. "Now stop playing twenty questions with me. I'm not in the mood to play."

"When will you be in the mood to play?", she asked innocently.

"Never.", he said, getting up and leaving.

Well that was nice, Vanilla thought sarcastically. She sat down, pouting because one, she was all alone and two, she didn't make a new friend. Now that she thought of it, it was the first time being denied by someone. "Hmm...now what do I do?"

Vanilla got up and kept walking until she found herself outside. Lire was with Ryan, planting flowers together and watering. Sieghart was napping under a huge tree (he looked so cute, Vanilla thought, then mentally slapped herself). Tela was...well...being Tela, floating around Kaistern, who was taking a walk with Stella.

Tela said her goodbyes to Kaistern and Stella, who looked way too happy that she was leaving. Then, she focused her attention to Vanilla. "Hello! And how was your day so far?"

"Eh. I met someone new today!", Vanilla said happily. "But he doesn't seem to like me very much."

Much to Vanilla's surprise (or maybe not), Tela bursted out laughing. She just stood there, blinking while the spirit rolled around in laughter. She calmed down a little, but kept giggling. "I see...I see you've met...Rufus.", she finally calmed down. "He came back from a mission he did alone. That's why I got out of the house."

Vanilla tried to piece it together, but kept pulling a blank. "And I still don't get it. What does him coming back having to do with you escaping out of the house."

"Alright. He's a bounty hunter, I'm a demon spirit who used to be a Queen! You do the math!", Tela tried to put it in simpler words, but Vanilla just stared. The spirit narrowed her eyes, "You suck at Math."

Vanilla started pouting, which made Tela roll her eyes and say,"Alright! Alright! Here's how it goes. According to Bounty Hunters, I'm a dead spirit that needs to be captured for a sum. Quadruple or quintuple that because I belonged to an Extremist family. Quadruple or quintuple that again because I used to be Queen."

Vanilla made an 'O' shape with her mouth. "I'm not really into the money business, but I know a few Bounty Hunters that came on to the island I was on before, saying they were looking for stuff."

Tela nodded. "And its not like I can blast him out of the sky."

Vanilla remembered that the spirit wasn't at her full potential yet. "Right! So you're just gonna hide until he goes away?"

"Don't put it like that~ That sounds lame.", she groaned, but it sounded so cheerful that it wasn't much of a groan anymore. "Either way, that's not really the plan. I'm going to so what I do best~!"

Vanilla shook her head. "Why don't you try...making peace?"

As Tela floated back into the house, she raised an eyebrow. "Peace? What's that?", she asked sarcastically before quickly floating into her bedroom window. Vanilla shook her head and decided to sit down for a while. That's when she saw a napping Sieghart. _'Hah~ He looks hot, even when he's sleeping~'_

Vanilla sat at the tree closest to Sieghart's, watching him nap while (or at least pretending to) read. Her plan would've been fine if Zero and Aira hadn't came back from their walk, only to find her 'reading'. "Hey Vanilla! What are you up to?", Aira asked.

"Oh, I'm just reading~!", Vanilla lied.

"I thought you couldn't read?", Zero stated, which caused Vanilla to suddenly freeze in place. She nervously eyed the napping Sieghart and thought, _'And the spying was going so well...time for Plan B!'_

"Itwasniceseeingyouguysokaygottagobye!", In her nervous state, she jumbled all her words and ran back inside at superhuman speed. Zero and Aira looked at each other and shrugged.

* * *

><p>When Vanilla came back inside, she saw Tela with Lass, who were both laughing. She figured more or less that they did something to Rufus and are currently hiding from him. "Lemme guess...you guys pulled a prank?"<p>

"Not really, but we snagged these!", Tela said, holding up two eyeteeth. Vanilla tried to remember where she saw those... "Lass snatched them from his side pockets while I distracted him."

"Woah! You two make a great tag team!", Vanilla stated excitedly.

"To be honest, I've never thought of working with Tela until now.", Lass admitted. He suddenly started laughing, something she didn't see too often. "I never knew how fun it could be messing with my brother!"

The three of them continued to laugh. Tela stopped laughing and asked, "So, Vanilla, what were you doing outside?"

"...", Vanilla tried to think of something incredibly quick on the spot, but instead, she came up with, "...Oh, you know me. Walking around the forest, taking in the fresh air..."

Lass narrowed his eyes. "I have never seen you do that."

"Which is why, she's lying~", the demon spirit said happily.

"YesIliedIwasactuallywatchingSieghartgonnagobeforeyoumakefunofmeokaythanksbye!", the Aaerion ran off again before either of them could say a word. They both shrugged it off and continued laughing their butts off.

* * *

><p>"Alright, next are the tulips...", Ryan announced to Lire. They were about to water them when they saw Vanilla (who was only a blur to them) run outside. She suddenly stopped and waved to them. Of course, they were kind of used to her doing weird things like that. "Hey Vanilla!"<p>

"Hi! You guys are watering the garden?", she asked.

"Yes! Just like how we need to keep hydrated, so do the plants!", Lire replied, watering the tulips as she said that.

"Oh, okay!", she replied as she wondered where everyone else was doing. "Heeeeeey, where's everyone else?"

"Well, Jin and Amy are in the sparring room, while Arme is in her bedroom. I think I saw Scarlet and Sapphire going to Serdin. Kaistern and Stella are in his bedroom, doing who-knows-what. I think I saw Lass and Tela plotting something...", Ryan said, trying to figure out where some people went.

Lire added. "I saw Elesis and Ronan headed for the sparring room. Sieghart's napping under a tree somewhere, Mari is in her room working on an invention. Zero and Aira went for a walk. Dio and Ley are off somewhere..."

"Hey! Did you see Knight Master? She had five people with her and they looked like new members of our team!", Ryan said, remembering that he saw them this morning.

"Really!? NEW FRIENDS!", Vanilla squealed. Ryan and Lire both turned to each, with worried looks on their faces. Vanilla stopped and noticed the two of them. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Two of them look friendly...", Ryan said uneasily.

"The other three...not so much.", Lire sweatdropped. "One of them has this face like Mari's. The other two look intimidating."

"Well, I'll be friends with all of them!", Vanilla said excitedly. She skipped off happily back inside before they could say anything. They looked at each other once more, shaking their heads, then went back to gardening.

For the rest of the day, Vanilla just hung around outside. She first sat back at the tree, watching Sieghart napping. After a while, Blake arrived and woke him up. He took a while, but he eventually woke up from his nap. Blake pointed to the Elven Forest nearby, telling him about some mission. As they went into the forest, Vanilla quickly followed them in.

She watched them as they slayed the evil creatures residing in the forest. The way they moved so swiftly and so easily made Vanilla's heart race. Once she realized it, she felt her whole face turn red. 'Noooo~ Why now?'

"Hey, I think we missed one.", Blake said, pointing to the shadow behind the tree, which happened to be Vanilla's shadow. She quickly peeked and saw them approaching. Panicking, she just decided to approach them at the same time. "Oh, Vanilla! What are you doing here!?"

"And why are you so red, kiddo?", Sieghart asked after.

"I...um...got an allergic reaction...", Vanilla lied, covering her nose. She started praying in her head for them to believe her. "I think it's something...in...the air."

"Well, we better get you out of here then!", Blake replied, pushing her out of the forest. As he touched her, she turned even redder.

"Sorry to bother you guys...", Vanilla said, turning slightly redder with each passing minute.

"Nah, it's okay. We were already heading back to Knight Master.", Sieghart said. He eyed Vanilla and asked, "But what were doing in the forest anyways, kiddo? It's not the safest place."

Vanilla rolled her eyes. "I went for a walk! Besides, I can defend myself. Don't worry about it.", she somewhat wondered how she was able to properly lie that time.

They both laughed, causing her to raise an eyebrow. Soon after, they all exited the forest together, but didn't instantly head back to the mansion. For some reason, they circled around the mansion, talking about their day so far. Vanilla, being utterly confused, just asked, "Uh...why are we just walking around the mansion?"

"Ha ha! Knight Master said that the mission isn't urgent.", Sieghart said.

"That means, we don't have to turn it in right away.", Blake added. "It's funny how you're suddenly worried over our mission."

Vanilla instantly turned red again. "I mean...I'm just w-wondering!"

* * *

><p>They continued talking about their day. Although they're just hanging out, Vanilla couldn't help but wonder if they were hiding something from her. Now that she thought about it, everyone has had her distracted or running around all over the place. She thought of this as very suspicious.<p>

It had been at least half an hour passed. Finally, Vanilla wanted to see what was going on. Yesterday had her on edge with the issue of trust. She didn't want the team to hide anything from her anymore, and she promised to herself hat she won't do the same. "Guys, I'm going to head inside. I'll catch you later!"

"Oh...okay! We'll see you later.", Sieghart replied.

"See you soon, Vanilla!", Blake replied.

As Vanilla ran inside, they turned the other way, towards Knight Master's office. Sieghart said, "Do you think she noticed? She seemed kind of edgy if you ask me."

"Yeah, I'm sure she guessed it already. Vanilla's more clever than she looks.", Blake suggested. "Well, they'll probably be ready by now."

"But honestly, I thought that she would've noticed the balloons and streamers this morning...", Sieghart said. They both looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Vanilla may be clever, but she's also very oblivious...", Blake said. They both chuckled at the statement for a moment. The two of them headed back inside after Vanilla.

* * *

><p>When Vanilla ran inside Knight Master's office, there was nothing there except for a little sticky note that said, 'Direct to living room.' ...What? It feels like the incident with trust all over again. She thought they promised not to keep any secrets. Vanilla kept her end of the bargain and it somewhat bothered her that they didn't keep their end of it.<p>

She ran out of the office and into the kitchen, ignoring all the balloons and streamers above her. Lass was up there, putting up more balloons as he saw Vanilla running to the living room. He shook his head and continued doing his job.

Vanilla ran into the living room, only to be greeted with claps. She blinked; why are they clapping for her? She just couldn't understand it. And Renma was there, in the background with Dio. Why was she here? Vanilla felt like she was missing something. "Uh...why are you guys clapping for me?"

"Because it's your birthday!", Amy cheered, squeezing her into a bear hug. Vanilla was still a bit confused. When was her birthday...? "You still look lost..."

"That's because Vanilla doesn't remember when her birthday is.", Renma said as she walked towards her. "I just decided that we should hold a birthday party for her."

"What? YOU GUYS HELD A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR ME!?", Vanilla yelled, looking around at all the balloons, birthday hats, and most importantly, the cake. "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!"

Within a minute, she managed to tackle everyone in the room (well, except for Tela who was still a spirit). Everyone laughed and started the party. Amy stood in the middle of the room, singing, with Jin sitting down and watching. One of the new people, Asin, sat down beside him, watching as well.

Vanilla had no idea how to cut a slice of cake for herself, so she naturally asked the girl in front of her, who she's never seen before. "Hey, girl with the light blue hair, can you cut a slice for me too~?"

The girl took out her rapier and threw the cake high in the air. Then, she cut twenty slices of cake in midair and let it fall perfectly on the plate. She took one for herself while getting one for herself. "Your welcome.", she said.

During the whole time, Vanilla's jaw dropped. When she got her cake, the smell of the freshly-baked cake snapped her out of it. "Oh, thank you! What's your name?"

"Edel Frost.", she said coldly. "And you are Vanilla, correct?"

"Yeah! Welcome to Grand Chase!", she said happily. Edel showed a hint of a smile as she left the living room with her cake. Vanilla wondered where she went for a second, then shook it off.

People stood up, talking to each other. As Vanilla passed by, they gave her hugs, handshakes, and smiles. Vanilla was about to sit down when she saw Sieghat and Blake enter the room. They both said, "Happy Birthday!" and gave her a hug.

Vanilla felt her face turn all red in both embarrassment and affection. It was so much that she fainted in their arms. They both blinked at each other and shook Vanilla. But it was no use. Everyone crowded around them and stared at the fainted Vanilla. "...An allergic reaction maybe?", Blake suggested.

"Wow. Vanilla really needs to see the doctor about those allergic reactions.", Sieghart stated.

In the distance, Tela smirked and shook her head. Behind her was a fuming Rufus, with his blade held high above her head, ready to strike.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Run, Tela, run! **

**Okay, officially updated this story with all the characters (kay KOG stop making characters now plz). I'm sorry for the long absence, I need to learn how to update faster. By the way, did anyone else notice that everything was a distraction to Vanilla? **

**On a side note, does anyone else think that Veigas looks really cool? ...No? ...Just me? Okay... **


	20. The Rainbow: Lovely Daytime

Chapter 20: Lovely Daytime

"Alright, I've made the arrangements to accommodate our new members as well.", Knight Master said, posting the names of everyone on the board. Everyone ran up and saw the board, which had the following groups:

Orange: Elesis, Tela, Rin, Sieghart

Yellow: Lass, Rufus, Lime, Arme

Purple: Jin, Asin, Amy, Edel

Pink: Dio, Ley, Vanilla, Veigas

Everyone stepped back from the board for a moment. The meeting room was silent, until Zero finally broke the silence. "Grandark says...he senses a train wreck for all these groups..."

People nodded at the statement from the quiet demon. They already knew Elesis, Tela and Sieghart were going to argue and fight. Lass and Rufus weren't on the best of terms after they found out they were brothers. Asin already looked way too happy with being in the same group as Jin. Dio and Ley were sure to argue, while Vanilla would be stuck in the argument.

Knight Master sighed. "I put you all in this position so that you would learn to work with everyone in Grand Chase. When it comes down to it, it's all life and death."

Everyone understood what she was trying to say, but...it felt strange working with people who you didn't like one bit. It didn't feel right at all. Suddenly, Knight Master announced, "You are all dismissed."

* * *

><p>"Oh boy, I'm going to have so much fun torturing everyone in my group~", Tela sung happily, floating around. "Especially Elesis, I know she'll be the first to get mad~!"<p>

"Hmm...my group is full of demons. And who's Veigas?", Vanilla asked.

"Veigas...? I've heard of that name before...", Tela said, trying her best to think. After a while, she grabbed her own hair in frustration. "Argh! It's the same with Ley; she looks so familiar, yet I can't tell who she is!"

Vanill tilted her head. "Maybe it's people you knew in your past life?"

Tela sighed wearily and replied, "That's probably the case. And I don't remember them because I spent all my time either tied to a grave or in your head."

They giggled about it for a while before they both had to go their separate ways. As Vanilla was headed to her group, Tela called, "Too bad you aren't with you-know-who!"

Vanilla immediately turned red and said, "W-Well I don't c-care!". She ran off to join her group. Tela laughed at her and floated away to join her group as well.

* * *

><p>"Alright. We have to fly across this ocean to get to Pink Island.", Dio said, looking towards the Ocean they were close to. Before Vanilla could react, Ley and Veigas easily levitated over the water while Dio spread his wings and flew over. She just stood there, staring like a mindless fool until she realized that she didn't know how to fly. And even though she was practicing how to levitate, she still couldn't levitate without falling suddenly.<p>

Vanilla shouted to them, "Hey, wait, I can't fly over!"

Dio scowled and flew back to get her. He grabbed her hand and flew across the sea again, this time slowly. He wished that Vanilla would've learned how to fly or levitate properly. That way, she can get across on her own and have both of them catch up. Ley noticed and was already annoyed by the fact that he was so weak that he couldn't lift Vanilla without slowing down.

"Dio! Move faster!", Ley yelled, causing him to get annoyed.

"I'm moving as fast as I can! I don't see you holding another person!", he stated angrily. Ley puffed her cheeks and levitated much faster. He whispered, "She can be so annoying at times..."

Veigas chuckled to himself, then asked, "Deus, how long until we get to that island?"

"Approximately 188475 steps.", when Veigas gave a threatening glare, the cube said, "Or approximately 36 minutes when flying."

As he smiled, Vanilla started saying, "Wo~ow! Your weapon is like a compass thingy. I wish I had one of those cube things! Where did buy one of those?"

Ley stared laughing loudily, louder than Vanilla's ever heard her before. And Dio couldn't help but crack a smile. She could've sworn she saw Veigas's eye twitch, but she couldn't understand why. That's when Deus chimed in and explained, "Detecting that her weapon is not given to her, but is determined through how much power she has."

"Well, what does that remind you of?", he said as he looked towards Dio, who also looked back at him. They turned away from each seconds after. Vanilla tilted her head, but didn't both asking about it. They probably have some kind of rivalry going on.

-Meanwhile...-

"So, how are we going to get across? It's not like we can fly or anything.", Jin asked, looking at Vanilla's group, who went by flying. That's when he saw a fancy boat pass up along the shore. "...When did this boat get here?"

"It is my boat.", Edel stated, gesturing them on the boat.

"Oooohhh~ You're really rich, aren't you?", Amy cooed, looking at the boat from all different angles. "It's so pretty! And it's full of shiny decorations! But if it was up to me, I would change to colour of it to pink."

Edel sighed and said, "Well...thank you."

They all entered the boat (well except for Jin, who was pushed onto the boat by Asin) and Edel started steering them to the island. The others sat down along the sides, with Amy on the left and Jin and Asin on the right. Tired of sitting down, the pink-haired got up and looked down at the water. While she was preoccupied, Jin and Asin casted annoyed glances at each other.

"The water is so pretty!", Amy said, scooping up a little in her hands, then sprinkling it everywhere. "It's been a while since we've been close to the sea. Right, Jin?"

The fighter jumped out of his staring contest with Asin and replied, "Huh? Oh, yeah, it's been a while."

"Have you ever been to the sea, Asin?", she asked, still looking at the water.

"Once. It was very fascinating~", Asin replied. They were still in the middle of trying-to-kill-each-other-with-stares while Amy contined looking at the water. Or at least, her reflection in the water.

-Meanwhile...-

Arme felt nervous about her group. For one, nobody was talking. Lass and Rufus stood far away from each other, not saying a word to either sibling. And Lime was...praying? Praying for what exactly, Arme wanted to know. "Soo...", started off nervously. "Hehe, how are we going to get to our island? It might be too far for me to teleport..."

"Wait! I'm working on that right now!", said Lime. She sat in a crouched position with her hammer in front of her, praying. Arme wasn't even sure if it was going to work, until suddenly, they started floating. Lime said, "Thank you! Now we can get to our island."

-Meanwhile...-

"Dammit! Everyone's on their way and we haven't even started yet!", Elesis stated, waiting for Tela to come back. She caught a glimpse of Arme's group...and Arme sticking her tongue at her. Elesis tried to chase after her, but realized the water blocking her way. "What's taking her so long?"

"I'm here~", Tela said appearing behind Elesis suddenly. "How come you guys didn't go yet?"

"Because we were waiting for you!", Elesis shouted. Tela closed her ears and laughed at her as she started turning red.

"Awww, I'm so special that you waited for me~! Thank you!", Tela said jokingly, then laughed. Rin started laughing at her joke as well. "Anyways...let's get going. I'll carry your lazy granddad while Rin can carry you."

"Deal.", Elesis said, somewhat calming down.

Tela heaved the sleeping Sieghart over her shoulder and started floating just above the water. Rin spreaded her black and white wings and took Elesis by the shoulders. The redhead found her feet barely touching the water. Although it was slow, they werern't in a rush to go anywhere. It was kind of peaceful actually.

-Meanwhile...(on Pink Island)...-

The group had set up camp in the middle of the forest on the island. Vanilla immediately noticed how the leaves and the trunks of the trees had a pinkish hue to it. For her, it looked somewhat similar...but she couldn't tell what it was.

"Hey, Vanilla, do you know anything about this place?", Dio asked.

She jumped and said, "No...but it looks really familiar to me."

Ley crossed her arms. "Hmph! Some help you are!"

"I'm sorry!", Vanilla apologized. Then she smiled and explained, "I don't think I've told you this, but I have amnesia. I seriously can't remember anything from my past, so I don't remember this place, even though it looks really familiar!"

Ley backed off, but she still puffed out her cheeks. Dio and Veigas both looked slightly happy that she stopped. That's when Deus chimed in and said, "Detecting a large amount of energy, 60 degrees southwest."

"Hm? Let's start there, then.", Veigas stated, levitating southwest away from them. Ley levitated after him and Vanilla dragged an annoyed Dio after them.

The forest seem to darken as they went further in. Vanilla remembered that the passage of time on the islands were messed up, but she didn't expect it go from early morning to nighttime that quickly. She couldn't see in the dark, but figured more or less that the demons had night vision. Well...she wasn't sure if Veigas was really a demon, he looked strange for one.

She held onto Dio's rake hand. He scowled, but she seemed to ignore it. When the forest cleared, they saw a huge waterfall that glowed in the night. Vanilla let go of Dio and went to the edge of the waterfall. "Wow! How does the water glow like this?"

"The water is made of crystal and starfruit. Detecting an energy source from directly underneath the waterfall.", Deus said.

"Jeeves!", Ley called. As he appeared in a puff of smoke, she pointed to the waterfall and said, "Go down to the waterfall and see if you can find anything out of the ordinary!"

"But, my lady-"

"I don't care if you can't fly, just go do it!", Ley shouted. He sighed and disappeared as quickly as he appeared. "Now we just wait. I hope he gets back quickly."

They all sat in a circle, staring at the floor. Vanilla broke the silence by asking, "Veigas, are you an Aaerion? You don't look much like a demon."

"I'm an Asmodian demon.", he replied angrily, much to Vanilla's surprise. "Did you think I was one of those pathetic half-breeds because of my human-like skin? Not all demons have purple skin."

Vanilla frowned and replied, "Well...I was just asking! I was just curious..."

"How do humans put it?", Veigas thought for a moment. "Ah, yes. Curiosity killed the cat~"

Vanilla knew how hard it was for her to get angry. But this guy seemed to do it as soon as her called the Aaerions 'pathetic half-breeds'. Dio and Ley seemed to notice that she was annoyed by him, and Ley stated, "Why isn't Jeeves back yet!? How long does it take to find something strange?"

"My lady, I'm back.", he said, carrying a pistol. "I found this."

"About time...", Ley crossed her arms and picked up the gun-like weapon. She examined it, but she didn't see anything special about it. It looked like an ordinary weapon. Dio, however, stared at it like it wasn't an ordinary weapon. "Oh? Do you see something in this thing?"

"...That's what the regular Aaerions used in their fight against us.", Dio explained. "It looks like a regular pistol, but its actually fires a shot that renders your powers useless."

"You mean that war between Demons and Aaerions? I think Renma mentioned it once...", Vanilla asked, observing the gun.

Dio turned away slowly, replying, "Yeah..."

Vanilla was slightly confused by this, but didn't say anything else. It was normal for him not to talk much, but this time, it felt like he knew something. Vanilla just wondered for a second if he was involved in the war, but then shook her head.

"Guys, I'm tired~ Can we go back to camp~?", Vanilla yawned, earning glares from the other demons. She instantly froze and then suggested, "...Or maybe we can keep looking, then sleep later?"

Dio sighed, "No...I guess we can go back to camp for now." They all went back to camp to get some rest and prepare for tomorrow.

* * *

><p><span>Later...<span>

'No...they're coming closer! I...have to run faster..! But they're...so quick...', the little girl said, running as fast as she could from her captor. She could feel her energy depleting fast, her legs trying its hardest to give out, her body trying to give up and die. '...Why me? Why does it have to be me!?'

The little girl ran over water, thinking she would escape the person. Instead, they simply flew over the water, still chasing close behind her. When she looked back, they were on her tail. 'No...! I have find somewhere to hide...'

Once the little girl ran onto land, she created a flash of light which blinded the person for a moment. The girl ran up the tree and hid there, catching her breath. When she peeked, the person already recovered and looked around for her.

"Alright, you little brat. Come out from your hiding place, or I'll blow up this place~"

The little girl looked further up ahead, only to see a huge residence up ahead full of people. She started to sob as soon as she realized that they would kill everybody just to get her. If she came out of her hiding place, her kind would be doomed, but if stayed here, her kind would still be doomed.

Back in the real world, Vanilla slowly woke up from her dream, realizing that she'd been crying the whole time. Ley was beside her, tilting her head. "Hey, are you okay? I heard you crying in your sleep."

"Huh? Oh, I had a nightmare.", Vanilla said, smiling although tears were still on her face.

"...What was the nightmare about?", she asked.

"There was a little girl...she looked like me, she was running from someone. I don't know, the whole time, they were like a silhouette. She decided to hide and the person threatened to destroy the island. No matter what, her kind would be done for.", Vanilla explained.

Ley nodded. "You said you had amnesia, right? Maybe that's a flashback of a part of your past?"

"...Maybe. But that's...scary.", Vanilla hugged herself. "Do you think it has something to do with that war thingy? I mean, the person looked like a demon."

"Maybe. I wasn't a part of it, but I heard that it wasn't a bunch of demons that defeated the Aaerions. I heard that the Aaerions were winning for a while, then two powerful demons came and destroyed most of the Aaerions.", Ley said.

"Just two of them? Destroyed a whole army of them? ...They are strong...", Vanilla shivered in fear. Then, she smiled at Ley and said, "And here I thought you didn't care about anyone except for yourself and Dio~"

"What? Hey! Don't think I really care for you! It's just that...", Ley looked away stubbornly, then explained, "...I get nightmares a lot, too. And they say, it's because this isn't my soul. My soul is actually someone else's. But...I don't know for sure..."

Vanilla nodded, then remembered what Tela said about recognizing Ley. "Oh! Tela said she recognizes you!"

"Yeah, I know!", Ley shouted. Realizing the others are sleeping, she lowered her voice and said, "I recognize her, too. Or at least my soul does."

"Hmm...well, anyways, I should head back to sleep.", Vanilla smiled even brighter. "You're not as bad as people think, you know."

Ley crawled into her sleeping bag with a stubborn look on her face. "Hmph! Well, don't get the wrong idea! We're just teammates, okay?"

The Aaerion giggled happily. "If you say so. Goodnight!", she said, then crawled into sleeping bag as well.

* * *

><p><span>Meanwhile...(on Purple Island)<span>

It was in the morning on Purple Island. They set up camp on the beachside, then got to work. Edel offered to lead the way, with Jin and Asin second, and Amy skipped happily behind both of them. While walking around, none of them realized that they weren't the only ones on the island.

"Wow! The trees here are purple!", Amy said, taking her sweet time to look around. "Is that why it's called Purple Island? Hmmm..."

Asin nodded and replied, "It's a lovely shade of purple, isn't it?", when she nodded eagerly, he also said, "Like how you're wearing a lovely shade of pink right now~"

Amy's eyes instantly lit up as she replied, "Awwwwwwwwwww, thank you!"

Jin, however, was horrified. He already knew he was only complimenting her to make his life miserable. Though, Jin knew it wouldn't work...if he didn't get jealous. If it was anyone else, he would be fine. But this was Amy! The girl he had admired for many years!

Edel stopped and thrusted out her rapier in front of her. The others stopped just behind her, listening in. The sound of whistling wind was only present. Amy was about to walk, but Edel put out her rapier in front of her.

For a moment, they heard people walking and a little bit of chatter coming from afar. They breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they weren't close by. She finally said, "There seems to be others here as well."

"Maybe they're other Aaerions?", Jin suggested. "Maybe we can ask them about this island."

"Yeah! I'm sure they will tell us something!", Amy added.

"Well, we won't find out unless we see, right?", Asin said, cracking his knuckles. Jin was somewhat worried if his 'seeing' meant 'seeing and talking to them nicely'?

Without saying anything, Edel continued walking on the path without them. Amy was the first to realize this and quickly skipped away behind her. Jin and Asin noticed as well and followed suite.

They continued down the path, until they reached a small village with only a small amount of people, mostly kids. Judging by the little horns poking out from their heads, they were most likely Aaerions. Amy said, "There are Aaerions here? I thought they're all on Cerulean Island..."

The kids playing ball suddenly stopped and turned to Amy. They shuffled back slightly, almost scared to approach any of them. One of the kids started sobbing.

"Huh? Ah! Don't cry! I'm not a scary monster!", Amy said, trying to walk over to the kid, but was stopped by a mysterious force that prevented her from moving. "What's this?"

An old woman with two rounded horns came from the largest house, her eyes glowing blue. She had long, wavy green hair. "Stand down, you demon!", she shouted at first. The old woman looked closer and realized that none of them were demons. "No, wait, these are humans!"

The kids turned to the old woman, then the humans. Suddenly, they tackled all of them. The four of them were confused, but went along with it. The old woman smiled and called, "Kids, come along! It's time for dinner!"

The Aaerion kids scurried into the house. The old woman suggested, "Why don't you rest here? You must be tired after all that travelling!"

Suspicious about this woman, Edel was about to decline, but then Amy ran over to her. Jin and Asin followed, talking about food. The Captain sighed and joined them, even though she didn't want to.

The kids were in their own separate area while the five of them sat down, talking with the woman. She introduced herself, "My name is Renka, Renma's mother. You met my daughter weeks ago, correct?"

"That's right!", Jin said, but then he realized how accurate she was, despite not knowing anything about them. "Wait...are you some kind of mind reader?"

"Yes, I've gained the ability to read minds.", she explained. "That's how I noticed you were all humans. Because you could look like a human, but actually be demon."

Amy looked towards the kids and asked, "Why are there so many kids? And where are their parents?"

Renka sighed and explained. "Those are war children. Orphans who lost their parents in the Aaerion-Demon war."

"There's so many of them...", Asin remarked, almost reminding him of the loss of his master in battle. The others looked at the children with sadness. "Who did this? Demons?"

"Yes, but only a very small fraction.", Renka explained. "You see the spirit, Tela, that travels with you? She wouldn't tell you, nor will my daughter, but she was the one who led the attack. She, and another demon that's travelling with you, but I didn't get a close look at them. They were so fast..."

"Travelling with us? There's Dio, Ley, Zero, Rufus and Veigas.", Edel responded. "...And many others...Who could it be?"

"Dio? Dio Burning Canyon?", Renka asked. She twiddled her thumbs as she said, "He used to be allied with our family. Him and Renma were best friends when they were younger. But then these wars...it destroyed the bond they had."

"I...overheard them the other day. Renma was remembering the past, but then Dio told her to 'stop living in the past' and that 'he wouldn't trade his demon pride over a silly friendship'.", Amy quietly said.

Renka sighed, almost as though she's given up. "It sounds like it's getting worse...and this is partly my fault as well..." Jin wanted to question her, but then Edel cleared her throat abruptly.

"Well...we shouldn't worry about this for now. It's in the past, we can't do anything about it...", Edel responded coldly, much to the surprise of everyone. "It was nice talking to you, Miss Renka, but we should be heading off."

"Uhh...yeah, we should get going before it gets dark...", Jin said, though he wanted to stay and learn more about this. As Edel left, he got up from the table, stumbling over the foot of it.

"We will meet again, Renka!", Amy said, quickly following them.

"Goodbye.", Asin said, casually jumping off the chair to join them.

"Bye! And tell my daughter that I said hi!", Renka said, waving her frail hand bye. The children noticed them going and also shouted bye to them.

While walking, Edel thought back to those children. Those children who were orphaned. It almost reminded her of she and her brother, who were orphaned as well. Now, all she had of her family was herself. She bit her bottom lip, holding back the tears.

_'...It seems that no matter how hard you try, you'll always end up alone...'_

**A/N: Hey guys~! Very quick update! I'm somewhat ahead of schedule, sooo yeah. By the way, I made a Tumblr blog to aledt my readers of any new chapters, adding any long A/N's and being random!**

**Just search up musa-chan on tumblr and if you have an account, follow me and I will follow you back~! It's still in construction, but I'll have it fixed by either tomorrow or next week. **


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